Earth
by inspiredsightxo
Summary: Bellamy Blake had learned to suppress his feelings so he could be the guy everyone wanted him to be. Sneaking on the drop ship that was being sent to Earth was just to protect his sister. His intentions weren't to meet someone, a grounder nonetheless, who made him question who he was, but most importantly, who he wanted to be.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Ninety-seven years ago, a nuclear war broke out across Earth, completely destroying civilization. At the time the bombs dropped, twelve space stations could only watch their home's destruction in disbelief. The dire circumstances forced the last of humanity to join for hope and for survival, and together they formed The Ark. For nearly one hundred years, the remnants of humanity lived in space. However, things weren't meant to last and soon the air system on the Ark began to fail. In a desperate attempt, the Council decided to send one-hundred delinquents back to Earth, hoping the ground was once again safe for their survival.

* * *

The first night on the ground was rough. Even though the Ark had provided them with clothes that were durable enough to survive the cold terrain of space, it still wasn't enough for Earth's atmosphere. In space, recycling was key to their survival. They had been re-purposing the same clothing since the beginning, the patches and holes showed the wear-and-tear of time.

The air was brisk and chilly, signaling that fall was slowly creeping around the corner. All of the teens were frightened, despite the tough act they presented. As delinquents, showing any sign of weakness immediately negated any respect from those around them.

Once they'd landed, it hadn't taken them long to realize they had been dropped in the wrong location and that the communication system that was built in to help them was shot. Even so, they decided to set up camp around the drop ship, the delinquents splitting into groups to begin working. They were separated by their Ark station, for that would decide what jobs they could perform successfully. By nightfall, they had been able to find and store water from a nearby stream, cut down enough trees to begin building a wall. They had built fires to keep themselves warm, used metal from the dropship to construct makeshift knives, and used the parachutes to make shelters.

Everyone seemed to be doing okay. The thrill of not being under the strict ruling of the Ark was both liberating and seductive. Although some of them worried about their loved ones left behind, Clarke had lifted their spirits by telling them that they would be reunited when the Ark came down, much to Bellamy's dismay.

It had been a few days since they'd landed and Bellamy Blake was alone in his tent, where he tossed and turned. He was unable to get comfortable, physically or mentally. He couldn't fathom how anyone could be sleeping right now. He wasn't even in the mood for company from the girls who visited his tent earlier in the evening. He knew they just fancied him based on his newfound leader position, and if circumstances were different, maybe things could have another outcome – but not tonight.

During the day, Bellamy had tried to convince everyone to take off their wristbands. He knew that the chances of the Ark not coming down to Earth were slim, if rumors were true and the Ark was dying. With Jaha now out of the picture, Kane would be in charge, and he was more inclined about holding the laws in place. He was stricter than Jaha and would do whatever it took to keep the human race alive.

Although Bellamy had snuck onto the dropship to be with his sister, Octavia, and the fact that the delinquent had already buried two of their own bothered him. Being on Earth felt like a second chance. He could lead the delinquents. He could help them prosper and thrive. If the Ark ever did come down, he would never be able to prove himself and start anew. Once again they would take everything from him and leave him as nothing but a criminal.

Bellamy still could hear some of the teens chatting quietly in their respective tents, and secretly he wished that his sister would have preferred to stay with him simply so he would have someone to talk to, just to maybe keep his nerves down. Although he knew that he couldn't just chat with anyone. Most of the teens that were here are dangerous criminals and he did not want to deal with their immaturity.

Early the next day, once everyone was working on the respective project and a group, including his sister had headed out in search of Mount Weather, Bellamy had decided to explore the surrounding area on his own. He'd been hoping to clear his head and had been pleasantly surprised when he had stumbled across a river a couple of miles east of their camp. Pausing to catch his breath and take a break, he crouched down to take a drink of water, enjoying the pleasant taste of unfiltered water, when a snap of branches from behind him cut through the calm.

Instinctively, he froze, his breath caught in his throat. Glancing around, he wondered if anyone followed him there from the camp, or maybe it was one of the first animals he would see on the ground. He picked up his knife and held it before him, cautiously standing back up and turning around. Looking up, his jaw dropped.

A young woman with a deep tan complexion stood across the river from him. She had long brown hair that was pulled away from her face and woven tightly into braids. She wore a dark gray shirt covered by a leather armor jacket. Her legs were clad in matching leather pants, tall black boots laces up past her knees. What caught Bellamy's attention the most was the way the charcoal paint on her face brought out the golden brown of her eyes. He might have even considered her attractive if she weren't completely covered in dirt. That and the fact that she help a large sword in his direction, looking posed to attack if he so much as twitched.

His mind was whirling. He thought he must be hallucinating. There weren't supposed to be any human left on Earth. The radiation from the war had supposedly killed them all.

Clearly they had been wrong. Human's had survived all along.

For a tense moment they stared at each other, before she said something in a language he couldn't understand. He frowned, studying her, wondering what language she was speaking.

When he didn't respond, her body language shifted, becoming more aggressive and Bellamy felt his hand cautiously drift up to his waistband, where is gun was nestled. He didn't want to waste bullets if he didn't need to, but he had a feeling the gun would be of better use than his knife. Especially if she decided to attack him with that sword.

But she didn't attack, instead continued to study him, head tilting to the side as if thinking about what she wanted to do.

Beginning to feel frustrated, Bellamy finally decided to break the silence.

"Hello," he began cautiously. "Do you speak English?"

His words seemed to jolt her into action and she began to stride forward, expression fierce and determined, paying no heed to the shallow waters of the river which she quickly waded through towards him.

At her sudden approach, Bellamy stumbled back in a panic, bringing up his knife in defense, as if it would somehow protect him from her sword if she attacked him, completely forgetting about his gun. But he was no match for her. Before he could react, she was in front of him, grabbing his knife wielding arm and lashing out with her foot, kicking out his legs from under him.

Slamming onto his back, air fled his lungs in a rush. He didn't have more than a second to catch his breath, before she slammed the hilt of her sword against the side of his head.

As his consciousness started to fade, all he could think about was how stupid it was that he'd managed to get himself killed after only a couple of days on Earth. The blow to his head left him struggling to find his ability to move and even to see clearly, but Bellamy felt someone picking him up. He made note that this person seemed a lot stronger than the woman he saw at the river. He struggled to pull away from them, to fight back even, but they strongly held him in place. As he finally went to lift his head, to see who was really carrying him, his vision blackened, as he slipped into a dark oblivion.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thanks for reading! New updates every week! Review please! Also a special thanks to my Beta, KatieBees!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Since the Ark was carrying what was believed to be the last of the human race, all laws were harshly enforced. Any crime held the penalty of death, with one exception: those who were under the age of eighteen and found guilt went to lock-up until they were old enough to be tried for their crimes. At that point they were either pardoned or floated. There was no in between.

One of the most strict rules on the Ark was that each family could only have one child. With the Ark's limited supplies, overpopulation could easily be the end for the remnants of humanity.

Bellamy's mother was one of the few in history that was floated for the crime of having a second child.

Bellamy remembered the day Octavia was discovered all too well. He knew better than to take Octavia to the dance, knew the risks if she was discovered. How could he have been so stupid? But at the time it had all seemed worth it, the smile on Octavia's face bringing joy to him like he'd never felt before. Had that moment of happiness been worth the pain that had followed? No, it hadn't. It had taken one mistake, one moment of complacency, and everything had tumbled down around him.

He saw his mother get floated. He remembers the pain that flashed across her face as she was sucked out of the airlock. He remembers hearing Octavia's screams and how much his heart ached. He remembers the jolt of electricity from the guards stun baton as he tried to stop it all.

* * *

Bellamy stirred with a pained groan. His head was pounding. As he faded in and out of consciousness, his mind started to sink back to that day causing his heart to beat frantically in his chest. As Octavia's screams echoed in his head, he jolted awake, gasping for air.

Blinking a couple times, Bellamy came back to reality, leaving the discomfort behind him. His eyes trailed to the flame light lamp that was placed on a table next to him, the light a little overwhelming. He was startled to find himself lying on a large bed, a black fur blanket draped over him. He rubbed the back of his head subconsciously only to find it bandaged. Frowning, he looked around, noting how the room was shaped in a semicircle, most of the wooden walls seeming to curve around him, except for the one directly across from the bed, which had an archway into another room. Cautiously Bellamy got up, wincing at the increased pounding of his head and made his way to the doorway and peered through. The room beyond wasn't very big, much smaller than the base room of the drop ship. Bellamy noted how archaic everything in the room was compared to the metal structure of all the Ark's components. Everything was made of wood and looked to be handmade. He saw what looked to be a wash station and a food storage area on his left and a single couch on the right.

There were no windows in this place, just a few lowly lit lamps. Bellamy concluded that this must be someone's home, and based on what he had seen, not many people lived here. Fortunately, he appeared to be alone.

Quietly, he moved towards the door on the far side of the room, grasping the latch and giving a firm tug, but it held tight, apparently locked from the outside. Backing up, he tried to find another way out, but there was none. All he found was a locked closet and a small second bedroom.

Bellamy made his way back to the door, throwing his entire body weight against it in an attempted to break it down. Each time he slammed his shoulder into the door, his anger grew with his desperation. He needed to get out of here. One final lunge sent a shock-wave of pain through his body, forcing him to stop.

Panting, he glared at the door, before turning and heading back to the room he'd woken up in. Sinking onto the edge of the bed, he hunched over, placing his head in his hands and for the first time realized he was afraid.

Worry swept through him. He was in a strange world, away from his sister and the others, and now he was defenseless. Bellamy's mind was racing. He couldn't even begin to guess where he was. He kept thinking about his sister. He kept thinking about the chances of something happening while he wasn't there to protect her.

Bellamy frowned, thinking back on the strange girl that had brought him here. If she was going to kill him like he expected, why would she go to the effort to patch him up? Either way, he decided he would be ready for what was to come. He would defend himself whatever way he had to.

The moment the door began to open, Bellamy grabbed the wrist of the person pushing it open and yanked them inside, shoving them as forcefully as he could into the far wall. He briefly recognized the face of the girl who struck him earlier and was inwardly pleased at the shocked expression on her face before he lunged out the door and slammed it behind him, leaving the grounder behind him to register what had just occurred.

Squinting at the sudden light, Bellamy looked around before freezing, a wave of vertigo sweeping over him.

The home he had just exited was nestled high up in a tree, branches and vines filling the space around him. The wooden beam that worked as a ledge suddenly felt unsafe as he gazed at the thirty foot drop below him. The sky above him was getting dark, signaling a rain storm in their mists.

It was almost laughable. He shouldn't be afraid of heights. He'd lived in space his entire life, but if you fell off the Ark, you would float, not fall.

He took a steady breath and looked down again to see steps etched into the tree. He knew that is he fell, he would most likely die. He needed to live. For Octavia. For all the delinquents, because they needed him. He climbed down as quickly as he could. Once his feet hit the ground, he took off running. Frantically patting down the mossy surface, he looked for a way out but couldn't find anything that resembled an exit. The slam of the door behind him told him that the woman was out. Cursing under his breath, as a light rain started down on the valley, he looked for a place to hide, glancing over his shoulder to see where she was but it was too late.

Her eyes were locked on his as she stormed towards him. She looked angry and Bellamy wondered if it was because he had caught her off guard.

Bellamy watched her carefully, trying to predict what she would do next, but hopeful that she would lead him to an exit. To Bellamy's dismay a swift moment, her eyes locked with his. He knew that she may had extensive knowledge of combat, but he was not going to give up without a fight. Using the pure fact that he was bigger than she, he ran at the women, trying to attack her, but as expected, she managed to dodge him. She proceeded to grab his arm and pin it up behind his back. The young woman then shoved him back towards the shelter just as a storm overhead brewed louder.

Moments later, they were both drenched from cold rainwater. Although his arm protested in pain, Bellamy went back up to the shelter.

Once they were back in the dark shelter, he heard her lock the door behind him. The young woman continued to mutter under her breath in her language.

Bellamy stood in the middle of the room, his clothes sopping wet and sticking to his skin, trying to stop himself from shivering. He watched her and wondered what the purpose of him being here was and if she was going to kill him, why hasn't she done so yet?

While Bellamy was going through his thoughts, the young woman disappeared down the hallway, opened the door that was locked, and pulled out dry clothes and a thick strip of cloth.

Bellamy's thoughts were interrupted when she shove the items she'd just collected into his arms. Then he was pushed down to the bedroom again. He sat them down on the bed and took a deep breath. He striped down to his underwear and glanced at the clothes. He wondered why she had men's clothing, but shook it off. He changed into the dark leather pants and the dark blue form fitting shirt she gave him. He then dried his hair to the best of his ability. As he put the gray socks on, he was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude, he has been wearing the same socks since before landing.

Still wary, Bellamy opened the door and stepped back out into the hallway, carrying the bundle of his wet clothes with him. He could hear her in the main room and walked towards the sounds of clinking. On the table he noticed she had many pieces of fruit in a bowl, a water basin, and a container of dried meat. The smell of food made his stomach grumble loudly.

The young woman looked up at him. She grabbed a metal cup from the counter, filled it with water, grabbed an apple, and handed them to Bellamy, much to his shock, in exchange for his wet clothes. At first he was cautious, but she simply she stared at him. After a couple seconds, he realized that maybe feeding him wasn't the best way for her to kill him and so hesitantly sat down on the couch, and enjoyed them both, keeping silent and not making eye contact. Once he was finished, he brought the core and empty cup back to her, placing it on the table.

"When can I leave?" he asked, looking directly at her. "I need to go back to my people."

The young woman ignored him and went back to the bedroom. Bellamy followed closely behind. Not liking this, she turned around abruptly, pushing her weight into his stomach in a harsh blow. Using her foot, she hooked it around the back of his leg and used the force to push him in front of her, making Bellamy stumble onto the edge of the bed, stunned from the blow. The young woman went down the hallway and got a heavy chain from her closet. After a couple seconds, Bellamy realized what was going on, got up quickly, and tried to escape by pushing her down. She expected this and whipped the chain against his stomach harshly, making him bend over in pain. She pushed him back and chained him to the metal post that was deep in the wooded wall next to her bed.

Bellamy tugged on the chain and even tried to throw his body weight to see if he could pull it out, but it did not budge. He attempted this multiple times, but had to stop from exhaustion. Bellamy sighed heavily and decided to wait, for now, to see what his fate has in store for him, and to build up his energy again.

Several hours must have went by and finally the bedroom door opened again, revealing the young woman. Bellamy noticed how she changed her clothes, but still had the black smeared on her face.

"Are you going to kill me?" Bellamy asked bitterly, still in pain from the blow, knowing it was probably bruised beyond belief..

She didn't respond, instead just stood there staring at him.

"Do you even speak English?" He asked again.

She didn't respond.

"If you would like me to kill you, all you had to do was ask," she spoke again, her tone mocking him. She pulling out her sword and pointed it at him. Bellamy froze, his expression solemn, eyes widening at the sharp metal of the sword lingered two inches from his face.

"I knew you spoke English," he said, "I knew you could understand me the whole time."

Her eyebrows rose in anticipation of him answering what she was inquiring. Bellamy shook his head slowly, his eyes locked on the sword. He then realized that if she was going to kill him, she could easily do so. Suddenly, her expression went from scornful to aloof, she tore he gaze away from his quickly. She put her sword away and looked back up at Bellamy, keeping her distance.

"My name is Emme," she said slowly. "What is yours?"

"My name's Bellamy," he replied, relaxing now that the sword of out of sight. Despite this, his interest was peaked, he wondered who this woman was. "You're not going to kill me, are you?"

Emme took a moment answering, but looked away and shook her head.

"Does anyone else live here?"

Suddenly a scream interrupted the moment, putting both of them on edge. Bellamy shot Emme a desperate glance and tugged on his chain. Bellamy knew in that moment that the scream came from one of his people, and he could see it in her eyes that Emme came to the same conclusion.

"I need to go back to my people," He stated firmly, his tone turning anxious. Emme's eyes drifted to the side and pressed her lips together harshly. Although Bellamy couldn't read her expression, he turned his tone softer in hopes of persuading her. "Please, my people need me," He said softly

Emme turned her head and looked away, then locked eyes with him, then proceeded to leave the room. Bellamy called after her frustrated, "Hey! You can't just leave me tied up here!"

Emme came back with a the metal cup and held it out to him.

Bellamy snorted at her random gesture. "I'm not thirsty," he told her bitterly, wondering if they were really speaking the same language.

"Drink it," she said firmly, handing him the cup. Bellamy looked away stubbornly. Emme rolled her eyes. She set the cup on the table and unchained him. He was surprised at this, but didn't question it. He got up, prepared to run, but in an instant he felt a knife on his throat. "I said drink it." Emme hissed. Bellamy swallowed, uneasy about having a blade at his throat for the second time that day. Slowly he reached out and grabbed the cup, raising it to his lips and drank the cool liquid.

A couple seconds later, Bellamy started to feel dizzy. He turned to look at her accusingly, but his movements felt slow and sluggish, as if his limbs were much heavier than normal. Emme lowered her sword, knowing it took effect. Bellamy felt the world slowing down with each moment he tried to make. He tried to move, but could no longer move his legs. Black spots began to cloud his vision. He tried to grip her shoulder for support, but fell onto the bed, the black spots becoming bigger, until black was all he saw as he faded into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Review please! Special thanks to my Beta, KatieBees.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Emme sighed and check to see if Bellamy was fully out. Knocking Bellamy out for the second time today hadn't been part of her plan, but she needed time to think. Slowly, she sat down beside him, putting her face in her hands, and took a deep breath.

She felt like she was stuck.

She knew she couldn't keep him here forever, but she also knew the strict rules about outsiders. Knowing what his fate would have been if someone else would have found him at the river, it cleared her conscious a little bit, for Bellamy didn't deserve to die. But while she had no bad intentions for Bellamy, she just needed to figure out what to do with him.

Emme finally decided that the only reasonable thing to do would be to wait until he woke up and bring him back to his camp. There was no reason to keep him prisoner here, and there was no reason why she wouldn't be able to get him back to his camp safely.

She only hoped he wouldn't fight her when she released him. She didn't want him to see her as the enemy. But she would fight him if she needed to make a point.

Showing weakness wasn't acceptable.

Having made her decision, she nimbly got to her feet and headed out of the room to prepare herself. She donned her armor and slid both her sword and her daggers into their proper places, instantly feeling comforted by their weight. Lastly, she grabbed her bag before heading back to the man currently unconscious on her bed. Before she sat down to wait, she rolled Bellamy over. Subconsciously, she brushed some of his hair out of his face, finding herself admiring him. From his light skin, his curly brown hair, to that patch of freckles that stretched lightly across his face. Shaking her head to snap herself out of the trance she was in, she flipped up his shirt to inspect him.

Across his gently defined stomach was already a giant bruise forming from where Emme hit him with the chains. Emme then felt a moment of guilt, but shook it off. He could handle a bruise. There were worse things in this world.

About thirty minutes later, she heard Bellamy groan. Turning to him from her current sitting position on the far side of the bed, she watched him start to regain consciousness. Bellamy stretched softly, only to tense up when he snapped back to reality. His body shot up out of impulse, but he wobbled a bit as he sat up. When he gained some balance, their eyes instantly locked. Emme could see the anger radiating from his stare, but kept her gaze firm - she was in charge here.

She got up and pulled him up by his shoulder, knowing at this state she was in no real danger. Bellamy was compliant and stood up, still regaining his bearings. Through the fabric of his shirt, Emme saw his muscles shift as he adjusted and stretched, and for some reason the sight of his muscles caught her attention before she forced herself to turn away. His eyes caught hers and he raised his eyebrows.

"You didn't have to knock me out," he mumbled, still a bit woozy. Emmy shrugged and pulled out her sword.

"Get out," she ordered, she then pointed her sword towards the main door. Bellamy hesitated for a second before stumbling slightly towards the door, which she had unlocked earlier. Emme was right on his heels as he moved. Before exiting, Bellamy gave her a final look, before ducking through the door and climbing down the tree.

Emme climbed down behind him. She noticed when he got down, he looked a bit defeated, and she assumed it was because he didn't know the way out. Bellamy turned around, curious to see that she followed him, but his face turned expressionless when he saw the rope in her hand.

"I will take you to your camp," Emme informed him She tied his hands together with rope. "No funny business, if anyone sees us, we could both be killed."

Bellamy eyed her for a second, then nodded. "Let's go."

At first Emme was surprised how quickly he let her tie him up, but then she realized that this young man would do anything to get back to his people. She then wondered if he had anyone special back at his camp waiting for him, but knew that he must have, based on his determination.

Emme pushed away her emotions and led him to the far side of the valley towards the back of her home and pushed away moss to reveal a small dark tunnel. Walking through first, she pulled the rope lightly, leading him behind her, guided by the light that was sneaking through the gaps in the moss. When they reached the end of the tunnel, Emme stopped suddenly, turning back, she pressed a hand against Bellamy's chest to stop him from walking into her.

Peering out of the moss, she checked to make sure it was safe, worry started to nag at her as it slowly creeped through her system. Taking Bellamy back to his camp was risky. If she was caught, especially with him, she would definitely be killed on sight, and Bellamy would be tortured and killed as well. In that moment, like somehow he knew, maybe he felt that she tensed up, she felt Bellamy fumbled around and grab her wrist softly. Looking up at him, the streaks of sunshine made an uneven pattern across his face, but his expression looked comforting. Emme took a deep breath and continued on.

When they exited the tunnel, a thick forest opened up around them. Keeping near the trees, they trekked across the terrain until she recognized his camp in the distance.

While he was unconscious, Emme had tracking his trail back to his camp, curious to see what he had left behind. Emme had expected to find a small metal contraption that had brought him from the sky, but instead she had found a whole group of Bellamy's people, their contraption much bigger than she had thought.

"Okay, your camp is one-hundred feet North," she told him, pointing towards where smoke was rising into the sky, "This is where I leave you."

Emme untied his hands and pulled away the rope, and took a step away simply for a precaution, leaving Bellamy to rub his wrists where it had been too tight.

"You have a bruise on your stomach," she told him. Digging in her bag, she pulled out a piece of an aloe plant and what appeared to be bandages for his head. "Just apply this and it will heal. Also make sure you clean your the wound on your head before applying the new bandage. After this change, it should heal nicely." Emme then proceeded to show him how to get the aloe out of the plant by applying pressure.

He gave her a suspicious look and hesitated for a moment, before taking the materials she offered.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked. She didn't meet the glance she knew was on her. Emme just pulled out his gun and his knife from her bag and returned them to him, reluctantly.

"I have my reasons," she responded sharply then pointed towards his camp. "One day you'll understand."

Emme watched his movements. Bellamy gave a skeptical look, as if he didn't know how to process any of this, but put away his weapons and took a step away from her, then proceeded to walk towards his camp. Before he entered, he turned around to look for her, but she had already hid, secretly watching him from afar. She notice how his expression changed when he didn't see her, like he wanted to look at her once last time, but was disappointed that he couldn't.

However instead of leaving like she intended to do, she kept hidden, moving in the shadows to watch him, then positioned herself in a tree that was right at the edge of their camp. When Emme was here this morning, a lot of Bellamy's friends were in shelters, but now since it was the afternoon, she counted how many she saw. She noted that there was over eighty teens here. She wondered why Bellamy seemed to be the only adult. As she watched them she noted how child-like the rest of them were acting. They were playing, fooling around. By their age they should be training in combat or gathering resources for their village.

Bellamy went into the metal shelter for a while, then come out looking a bit grim. He was followed out by four people of whom Emme guessed where his friends. Emme couldn't hear what they were saying, for they seemed to be keeping the volume down after Bellamy's reintroduction to the camp, maybe to not cause a disturbance. Emme wondered if he had told them where he was, but based on his actions, he hadn't told them anything, but something else had happened.

She frowned when she noticed Bellamy and the others were preparing to leave camp, and wondered why they would put themselves in danger willingly, especially when they were so untrained. She wondered if Bellamy learned his lesson, that the Earth now was a dangerous place.

Watching them leave their camp with little to no supplies, she could only roll her eyes at their naivety.

Sighing to herself, Emme stealthily slid back down the tree, already knowing that she would follow them. She was curious where they were going. Were they looking for her or someone else?

Besides, their lack of experience made her feel duty bound to keep an eye on them. They were like children wandering through the forest on their own for the first time. They needed protection, whether they knew it or not.

And their naivety wouldn't protect them from the clans.

As they stumbled through the forest, she followed them. She watched how Bellamy trailed in the back, lazily, and she wondered why he wasn't leading the group. Along the way there was small talk and she learned his friends names. There was Clarke who was blonde, bold, and never willing to hold her tongue, Murphy, which never had anything not sarcastic to say, Finn, who was the one who was tracking their other friend, and lastly there was Wells, who didn't speak much and kept close to Clarke.

"How do you know he's even still alive?" Bellamy asked. Clarke stopped abruptly and marched up to him. "If Finn was right and that spear was thrown with pinpoint accuracy, then he's probably already dead."

"Jasper screamed when they moved him," Clarke retorted. "If they wanted to kill him, they could have done so easily."

"Or maybe they have a crappy shot," Murphy butted in. Everyone seemed to roll their eyes at his comment.

"Lets see you throw a spear from three-hundred feet and hit your target, huh?" Finn spoke up.

"Come on, we need to keep going while the trail is still fresh," Wells said, keeping behind Finn.

Everyone seemed to silently agree and move on. Emme noticed how Bellamy seemed distracted, his eyes roving the trees in search of something and she wondered if he was looking for her. When his eyes darted over the area she was hiding, she pressed her back further against the tree, making sure to keep still until his eyes swept past.

When she noticed how close they were getting to two villages, she started to get nervous. If they got too close, they would get killed.

To add drama to the moment, a loud groaning made everyone freeze. Emme was startled, but lurked near Bellamy. She watched the uncertainty flash upon his face.

The trail of blood led them to the source of the groaning and Emme quietly gasped in her hiding spot. Hanging from a tree was who she assumed was their friend Jasper. He was tied onto the tree, shirtless, covered in blood, and had a poultice on what Emme assumed was the spear wound. The setup was familiar. She knew what this was.

They were walking into a trap.

If they were to walk forward, the ground would most certainly cave in and they would fall into a pit full of sharp spears. Emme wanted to stop them, but what if her people were watching? What if they saw her interfering?

The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, Something else was lurking in the forest. Something else had been drawn by the blood.

It didn't take long for her to find out what it was. Movement caught her eye and she watched a large black panther slink through the trees towards them. It looked transfixed as it prowled. Fortunately, she was downwind of the creature and it didn't notice her presence as it slipped into the tall grass, watching the group, waiting to attack.

Bellamy and his group would completely unaware of it's approach. Gritting her teeth in frustration, Emme quickly drew her blades and rapped her knife sharply against her sword in an effort to catch their attention and warn them that they weren't alone. It worked. Bellamy and the others froze and looked around, knowing there was now someone or something out there.

The group seemed to be be much more alert now, that while the others strategized how they were going to get Jasper down from the tree, Bellamy and Murphy had take on a more defensive position, patrolling the outskirts of the tall grass on both sides of the clearing.

Bellamy went to grab his gun and cautiously took a few steps forward. Emme watched Bellamy come without two feet of the beast without realizing it. Fearing the worst, Emme held her sword tightly in hand, ready to attack if she needed to.

The panther stealthily moved closer, readying itself to attack.

Emme counted down in her head.

Three.

Bellamy walked closer as Murphy walked a bit further away, trailing around the other side, holding his small makeshift knife in his hand.

The loud noise she purposely created kept Clarke looking over her shoulder as they attempted to retrieve Jasper from the tree.

Two.

The panther crouched down lower, a split second from pouncing. Emme felt her heart beating in her chest.

Clarke, Finn, and Wells walked around the tree and came up from behind Jasper, preparing to get him down quickly.

One.

The panther sprang up, it's claws out aiming straight for Bellamy. Bellamy's face went white in shock. The panther roared loudly, making the other kids freeze on the spot.

Fortunately, Bellamy's reaction time wasn't too impeded by his shock and he fired a round at the panther, striking it in the leg, knocking it off course. It growled angrily as it lurked around the tree, Bellamy stepped forward, a look of determination on his face, wanting to finish what he started. The panther hissed at him and walked around another tree, planning another attack then lunged at Bellamy again.

Bellamy dodged the attack but fell backwards onto the ground. He scrambled up as the panther turned around again and he took off running. He felt the panther on his heels and tripped on a root of a tree. He turned around and sat up, holding his gun out.

The panther ran towards him, fangs out, and jumped, it's claws sharply out, in anticipation of making Bellamy his next meal.

At it got within a foot of Bellamy's face, Bellamy's finger was on the trigger ready to kill it. A split second before he pulled it, the panther dropped dead on his legs, for Emme couldn't stand the anticipation of not knowing and took action. Without even thinking, he pulled the trigger anyway, only shooting the ground. He looked back at the panther, a dagger had been plunged into the beast piercing it's heart.

Gasping for air, Bellamy frantically looked around and his eyes met hers. Emme had to take a minute to breathe. Her heart was racing in her chest. She walked up to them and pushed the beast off of him, then took her dagger out of her kill and put it away. She held her hand out for Bellamy, which he took.

"Bellamy! Are you okay?" Clarke's voice rang out. Bellamy looked in the direction from where Clarke had called. When he looked back at Emme, she noticed his eyes were glossy and in a subconscious reaction she reached up and stroked the right side of his face, as if physically checking to see if he was okay. She disappeared behind the trees just as all of his friends came through the clearing in the trees, still watching from afar.

Bellamy picked up the dead panther and turned around, carrying it back towards the others

"I got dinner," she heard Bellamy mumble. The others looked just as shocked as Bellamy was.

"Come on guys, we have to get Jasper home." Finn called, carrying a limp Jasper in his arms. Emme smiled and disappeared deeper within the forest, making her journey home, knowing that that moment of sacrificing her safety was worth it.

* * *

For once, the dark night sky was clear, the wet weather of the past few days having faded away. Emme was in her home preparing for bed, only slightly tired from the day's events. She had removed her warrior armor, washed up, and was now clad it a small pair of black shorts and black tank top, ready to get into the warmth her bed had to offer.

Even though she was tired from the day's events, she couldn't stop thinking about her reaction to Bellamy. The way she's subconsciously reached out and touched his face. She had wanted to make sure he was safe and unharmed, but she felt like she was letting her emotions get in the way. She was letting emotions get in the way of her motives. All she wanted to do was make sure he was safe. If Bellamy was kept safe then that meant the rest of his people would be safe too.

Barefoot, her feet padded against the wooden floor as she made her way to bed. She had barely had time to get settled and comfortable before she heard someone coming up the tree.

With her eyes snapping open, she sprang into action, grabbing her sword that was perched against the side of her bed. Creeping quietly to the front door, she was tense, waiting for the moment someone would barge through the door.

The knock on the door startled her. Frowning, she paused. If they were trying to sneak into her house, they probably wouldn't knock. Reaching out, she unlocked the door and slowly pulled it open, keeping her sword at the ready.

Bellamy's face went white when the sword pressed against his stomach, his hands went up in surrender. A combination of disbelief and exasperation swept through her. She rolled her eyes before lowering her sword, noticing that Bellamy held something in hand.

"What do you want? Do you realize how late it is?" She asked. Emme noticed how Bellamy's eyes trailed up and down her body, taking a particularly long time studying her face, and it made her face warm, secretly wishing that she was still wearing her war paint to cover up her blush. He took a step forward and handed her a package. Accepting it, she saw that it was cooked meat wrapped in some type of thin material and realized he brought her some of her kill.

"I, uh, just wanted to say thanks," Bellamy said looking a bit nervous.

Emme was pleasantly surprised. Turning away, she tried to hide the small smile that graced her lips at his touching gesture. Once she managed to control her expression, she was able to respond to him.

"You didn't have to bring me this, but thank you," She said softly and nodded towards the inside, telling him that he could come in. Emme locked the door behind him and went and put the meat on the table.

"And you didn't have to save my life, but you did," Bellamy said, his tone was different this time. Much more like his tone when she had let him go outside of his camp. It was soft, delicate, and showed immense gratitude and a slight twinge of curiosity. "Why did you do it?"

Emme looked away and pursed her lips, not knowing where to start.

"There are worse deaths than getting mauled by an animal," she started, her tone wavering. "You were getting too close to some of the villages."

"Villages?" Bellamy echoed, sounding shocked. "How many people? How did everyone survive? How come you don't live in one?" He seemed to ask himself more than her. Then he shook his head, expression turning from surprised to serious. "I need to know, did you have any part with what happened to Jasper?

Emme shook her head and went and sat down on the couch.

"I had no idea about what was going to happen to your friend. I don't belong to any of the Clans anymore, it's not safe for me to stay in the villages."

Bellamy furrowed his eyes and went to sit down next to her.

"Can you explain all of this to me? Because this doesn't make any sense to me."

Emme nodded and continued. "Under the Coalition there are twelve clans, all under the rule of the Commander. I was from Trikru, but I was banished. Now I live here, surviving on my own. Outsiders, like you and your people, are not welcome onto this land unless under specific circumstances. If anyone else would have found you, they would have the chance to kill you on sight. I knew where you were because…" She trailed off and turned a little red, but continued, her voice getting softer. "I followed you, to make sure you didn't get into anymore trouble."

His lips seems to twitch into an amused smile at her comment . "I wouldn't be me if I didn't get in at least a little trouble."

"How is your friend?" Emme asked, changing the subject. Bellamy's eyes met hers again.

"He'll get better. Clarke said he just needs time," he responded, seeming somewhat surprised that she asked.

Bellamy's face changed a moment later, perhaps he had let his guard down a little too much, and stood up, clearing his throat, "I should go."

Emme got up and nodded, not making direct eye contact with him. She walked him to the door and unlocked it, leaning against it. Bellamy walked up to her, gripped her hand warmly, reached up to brush a strand of hair out of her face almost subconsciously.

"Thank you, for everything," he said softly, his words heartfelt and lingered in the air. He then left, leaving behind a speechless Emme.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Happy Saturday! Thanks for reading everyone! Review please! Special thanks, as always, to my wonderful Beta, KatieBees.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Due to the crime Bellamy committed, he was the last one to want the Ark to come to the ground. Even though the Chancellor had promised to pardon the crimes of the delinquents in exchange for proving the ground was survivable, he had a hard time believing that anyone's crime's would be so easily dismissed. Even if they were, he was sure that his own crime would never be pardoned.

He needed to be here for Octavia, and he wouldn't be able to do that if he was imprisoned, or worse, executed. The only way to stop that from happening was to keep the rest of the Ark from coming down to the ground. To accomplish this, he needed to convince the rest of the delinquents that taking off their wristband was in their best interest.

Emme's kill had provided the perfect solution. Hungry delinquents were eager to trade in their wristbands in exchange for meat.

Despite finally having their hunger satiated, everyone in camp was still on edge. Even though Jasper was getting better, the process was slow and his pained moans echoed through camp, making everyone cringe. Clarke often needed to cut away the infected flesh around his wound. On the Ark, they always had medicine prepared for immediate use, so they knew little of how to cultivate it themselves. On several occasions, Bellamy thought of visiting Emme to ask her if she knew how to help Jasper. Maybe she knew something that could help. From his short time with her he had noticed that she seemed to know something about medicine.

It hadn't taken long for Murphy and his companions to begin taking advantage of the group's new found fear of Grounders. New weapons were being made from any spare materials from the drop ship. It worried Bellamy. The quickly growing distrust in the group made him realize that he should have told them about Emme from the beginning. That not all Grounders were bad. Why would anyone believe him now, especially after what had happened to Jasper?

Bellamy quickly decided to send out hunting teams, realizing that they would need food sooner than later, and hoping that the hunting might provide a good distraction from the tension in camp. Ten delinquents volunteered to go and they split into pairs, eager to find more food. Bellamy paired off with a boy called Atom, who seemed smarter and braver than some of the others in camp. He didn't seem like the type of person who would run away at the first sign of danger.

They had tracked a deer trail for a couple minutes now and were closing in on it. The air was still around them. Slowly creeping forward, Bellamy could see the deer they were following in a small clearing ahead. He was ready to strike when a sudden rustling of branches behind him broke his concentration. Making a split second decision, his heartbeat pounding through him, Bellamy threw the makeshift axe in the direction of the movement, realizing all too late that maybe Emme had been stalking him again. The thought fled him when his eyes landed on Charlotte, one of the youngest delinquents, his axe buried in the trunk directly above her head.

"What are you doing here?" Bellamy snapped angrily, storming up to her and yanking his axe from the tree. "I could have killed you." Charlotte's eyes were wide with shock, her mouth opening and closing a couple of times, struggling to find something to say. This action made Bellamy's anger fade and he kneeled down and gently grabbed her shoulders, feeling guilty of her reaction. This seemed to calm her down and she finally found the words she was trying to say.

"I-I couldn't take it anymore," she stuttered out, tears welling up in her eyes. "The boy in the drop ship won't stop screaming. I had to get away."

"You can't just go roaming in the forest by yourself, there are grounders out here," Atom spoke up, looking slightly annoyed but trying to keep his patience. "You have to go back, you can't be out here, it's not safe."

Bellamy held up his hand to Atom, signalling him to be quiet, eyes still on Charlotte.

"You can't hunt without a weapon," he spoke softly, holding out a small makeshift knife for her to take, which she hesitantly took from him.

"Have you ever killed anything?" Bellamy asked, not knowing the reason behind her imprisonment. When Charlotte shook her head, her small hand clutching the knife. "Well, who knows, maybe you're good at it."

Charlotte tentatively smiled at Bellamy and he returned it. Truth was, Charlotte reminded Bellamy of a younger Octavia, and he wanted to make her strong. He could see how nervous and timid she was and wondered if she had ever had any good role models during her life. Maybe if he showed her how to hunt and defend herself he would be able to help her, if only a little. It would be wrong of him to not teach her to survive in this new world.

As he thought about Charlotte's safety, his mind wandered to the mystery that were the Grounders. From what Emme told him, they seem like warriors of some sort, and were known to be ruthless. Secretly, he wished that all Grounders could be like Emme, but it wasn't that simple. Even though Emme hadn't told him yet why she got banished, he didn't know if that alone had made her different from her clan, or if she had always been this compassionate towards outsiders.

Eyes darting around the trees, Bellamy couldn't help wondering is she was somewhere out there, hidden in the trees, watching him. Shaking his head, he pushed the thought from his mind. Something about her was becoming addictive to him, and it was getting dangerous.

As they started moving again, Bellamy kept a close watch over Charlotte, knowing that there was no second chances out here. One wrong move and some other Grounder could attempt to kill another one of his people. If something happened to Charlotte, if she became the Grounders next victim, he didn't know what he would do.

The forest around them slowly darkened as the sun dipped behind some thick clouds, making the trail much harder to follow.

A cool breeze sent goosebumps over Bellamy's arms, a weird feeling settling over him. Even though they kept moving, his brain was suddenly on high alert.

Before he had a chance to suggest they head back, a deep horn sounded off in the distance, making them all freeze in their tracks, surprised as they looked in the direction of the source.

Even though he'd never heard the sound in his life, Bellamy knew without a doubt that it was some kind of warning. Something about the sound made chills go through his body and he wondered if some of the other delinquents had encountered Grounders.

The wind started to pick up until it was pulling their clothes around them, whipping leaves through the air. Bellamy grabbed Charlotte's hand tightly and frantically looked around. In the distance a eerie looking yellow fog was coming towards them. Charlotte gasped at it and took a step back. Whatever it was, Bellamy thought, it wasn't good. His instinct told him to run.

"We need to go," Bellamy said, backing away from the fog. "Whatever this is, it doesn't seem safe."

Tugging on Charlotte's arm, they ran back in the direction they came, only to find more fog circling around in front of them. Bellamy could hear his heart beating through his chest as he contemplated what to do. He couldn't show Charlotte that he was afraid, she needed him to be brave and she needed him to be strong.

Bellamy's eyes finally rested on a cave that was nestled between the roots of some trees.

"Come on, in the cave!" he shouted over the wind, which had turned into a strong gale. In the distance he could hear what sounded like trees crashing to the ground. Pulling Charlotte, he led them deep into the cave. He heard her breathing harshly and turned to her.

"Hey," he said softly, getting to his knees so that they were the same height. He looked into her scared brown eyes and smiled. "We're going to be okay, right Atom?"

Saying the other boys name, he looked up, only to see that Atom was nowhere in the cave. Panicking, he ran back to the entrance and peered out, but the fog limited how far he could see. Then came a sound that made him feel sick - pained screams in the distance. He knew without a doubt that it was Atom and he was stuck somewhere out in the fog.

Reaching out, he touched the fog, immediately regretting it. He gasped in pain, yanking his hand back, feeling as if he had touched molten metal. He knew he couldn't go out there. Atom was on his own.

Moving away from the fog, he headed back to Charlotte, trying to keep his expression calm for her sake, even though his heartbeat was pounding in his chest and his fingers still burned.

All they could do now was wait and pray that Atom would be okay.

* * *

Enjoying the good weather, Emme wandered through the forest, determined to restock her supplies. Her bag was secured to her side as she bent down near the river to grab some red river moss which she used for medical purposes. It was only then that her ears caught the sound of talking in the distance and she paused, drawing her blade as she ducked behind some bushes. Peering down the river bank, she saw some of Bellamy's people wandered down the edge of the water, one wading through the water. Stuffing the moss into her bag, she drew back into the trees and maneuvered herself to get a closer look, feeling curious about what they were doing.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Finn asked Clarke. She nodded and grabbed the red moss Finn was holding out for her. Emme wondered if they were looking for more for Jasper's wound. Assuming that they were going to use it on him, she raised her eyebrows, oddly impressed by their ability to figure out the poultice.

Wells stood not far from his friends, expression serious as he looked around.

"We should be getting back," Wells spoke firmly. "The sooner Jasper gets this, the sooner he will heal."

Clarke and Finn nodded in agreement and they all started back towards their camp. Curiosity peaked, Emme trailed behind them, making sure to keep out of sight while grabbing fruits and nuts from trees and bushes she passed along the way. She was never one to miss an opportunity to gather supplies.

As she walked, Emme considered the teens before her, and the group they came from. There was something about them that drew her attention. While some seemed wise beyond their years, they all held a childish air around them that many of her people no longer retained past childhood. These people were complex. Different. They gave her hope for a future that she hadn't considered until they had suddenly dropped from the sky.

Then a familiar sound pierced her thoughts and Emme's head snapped up. The long drawn out sound of a horn being blown in the distance could only mean one thing.

"Mountain Men," Emme whispered, her eyes immediately darted to the sky, which was quickly darkening. The wind had started to pick up and she turned to face the direction it came from, instantly seeing the great wall of yellow fog sliding towards them. Whirling around to face the teens, she made a sound of frustration in the back of her throat.

They had stopped moving at the sound of the horn and were staring around looking absolutely clueless to the danger that was rapidly approaching them. Fortunately, it didn't take them too long to notice.

Clarke was the first to break out of her trance. "Run!" she yelled at the other two, and the three of them set off at a sprint towards to forest in an attempt to get away.

Emme was quick to follow their example, but as the teens darted into the trees, she saw Wells trip, his foot having sunk into a gap in the roots.

Neither Clarke or Finn noticed as they kept running, too preoccupied in finding safety.

Emme was torn as she watched Wells struggle to free himself. Should she find her own safety? Or should she risk her life for another one of these mysterious teens?

She was moving before she even finished the thought. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she let the boy die when she'd had the chance to save him. Sprinting over to Wells she quickly crouched down next to him, reaching for his trapped leg, ignoring the way he jumped at her sudden appeared and the fearful expression that crossed his face.

Freeing his leg, she yanked him to his feet, grabbing his arm.

"Who the hell are you?" he choked out, staring at her with wide eyes. When he wobbled on his feet, she realized she ankle was probably sprained and pulled his arm over her shoulders so she could help support some of his weight.

"No time for talking, just run," Emme panted, her eyes flickering to the rapidly approaching fog. Talking right now would put them both at risk, and she refused to die after risking her life for someone else, only for both of them to end up dead.

"Wait," Wells snapped, yanking away from her. "You're a Grounder, why are you trying to help me?"

"Do you want to die?" she barked, losing her temper. As the fog was closing in on them, a loud painful scream was heard from the distance, making them both flinch. Wells' eyes widened in fear and didn't say another word, reluctantly allowing Emme to guide him away.

It took longer than she would have liked, but they were soon out of the danger of the Mountain Men territory and safe from the fog. Emme allowed herself to gradually relax, slowing down so that she was no longer simply dragging Wells behind her and instead walking at his side. She guided him towards her home, sensing the question that seemed to be bubbling under Wells skin. His mouth gaped open, ready to ask questions about her home, why it was hidden, or even how it came to be, but he just closed his mouth and stared at it.

"You need to wait a while before going back to your camp. You're safe here. Either you can stay down here for a couple hours, or you can come up," Emme told him, releasing his arm and allowing him to stand on his own.

Wells watched her warily, before glancing over his shoulder at the way they had come, clearly looking for a way out.

Emme sighed and made her way up to her shelter, deciding that she would allow him to make his own decision, since the other way hadn't worked so well with Bellamy. Wells seemed just as stubborn, but less impulsive than the other man. She paused, realizing that she was once again thinking about Bellamy. Shaking her head she began to unload the supplies from her bag, but not before she wondered if he had made it to safety.

It took longer than she thought but eventually the door creaked open to reveal Wells, who cautiously peered in, eyes darting around the interior before resting on her. Noting the small makeshift blade in his hand, Emme knew that he did not trust her even if she had saved his life. On the plus side, he had decided to come up, which was more than she had expected. Either way, she was impressed. They were smart to be cautious of her people.

"Come in, please," she spoke to him softly, making sure to keep her hands where he could see them and not to make any sudden movements. Wells was still wary, and Emme understood this. At this point, she assumed that he thought she had something to do with his friend's incident and that he was most likely to be next. But something about his reaction confused her: hadn't Bellamy told anyone about her? Bellamy now knew that she didn't pose a threat to his people, but what was he trying to hide? Was he worried that they might retaliate against her for Jasper? Emme knew the way of her people and wondered what methods they would use now that they were on the ground. Blood must have blood was the only way she knew.

"I know you don't trust me," Emme started slowly, picking her words carefully. "And there probably isn't anything I can say or do right now to make that happen, because trust takes time, but I am not your enemy, Wells."

Wells' mouth dropped at the mention of his name.

"H-how do you know my name?' he stuttered out, then cleared his throat, trying to keep calm. "Are you watching us?" he demanded with a glare.

Emme rolled her eyes in exasperation, then shook her head.

"Well then, who are you?" he asked again, his eyebrows in their telltale frown. Emme distantly wondered if his expression ever changed.

"My name is Emme, and yes, I may be a Grounder, but I'm not your enemy. Please, take a seat," she informed him, then motioned towards the couch. Wells hesitated at her offer, glancing at the aforementioned seat as if it could be some sort of trap. Emme shrugged to herself, then continued to put away her supplies. It was up to him to make the next move.

As she went to put away the moss, Wells spoke up.

"What are you going to do with that?" he asked, recognizing the moss, seeming curious at it's purpose in her possession. Emme continued to put it away in a container.

"You and I both know what it's for Wells," she said, pulling herself onto the table to sit so that she was facing him.

"You were at the river," Wells realized. "That's how you found me. Did you see my friends?"

Emme nodded and gave him a comforting look.

"Your friends didn't realize you had tripped until they got to safety, and at that point it was too late, so I knew that it was up to me to save you."

"Do you know what that stuff was? The fog?"

"It's a weapon," she informed him, expression serious. "If you touch it, it will burn and blister your skin...if it overcomes you, you will have a slow and painful death."

"A weapon? Whose weapon? Is it a weapon of your people?" Wells inquired, seeming to not realize he had taken a step further into the room as his curiosity overtook him.

At first Emme hesitated, the familiar spike of fear coursing through her at the thought of the mountain men. They were dangerous. Worse than her own people in every way. If she told him about them, maybe Wells and his people would go looking for them. But if she didn't tell them, it was possible they would run into them completely unawares. Isn't it better for them to know the dangers instead of wandering around blind?

She then finally spoke, "No, not my people. The mountain men."

"Mountain men?" he echoed, looking just as perplexed as before. "I- I don't understand, who are they?"

Emme hesitated, wondering exactly how much she should tell him. "Pray you never find out," she warned gently. By the look on Wells face, she knew Wells wanted to ask more. However, asking about the mountain men was just asking for trouble. "Legend has it, if you ever see them, you will never live another day."

Emme looked down at her hands then pushed herself off the table and and was about to go to her room.

"Where are you going?" Wells asked, seeming startled by her sudden movement.

Emme paused, then went to a case that was on another table. She opened it, pulled all of her weapons off her person, then left the room, closing the door behind her. Emme had decided to change and wash up, wanting to show Wells that she wasn't the enemy by showing him her weakness; no armor, no weapons, no warrior paint to hide behind.

Coming back into the room, she found Wells still standing but he appeared to have relaxed a bit, now that he knew she wasn't armed. He was no longer holding his blade like a lifeline, instead turning it over in his hands. At first he didn't noticed her presence, but she could see that he looked unsure as he gazed around the room. When Wells looked up, his usually frowning face eased, as his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

Emme was confused and slightly nervous about his reaction. Did he think she was hideous? Emme didn't consider herself particularly ugly or attractive, and nobody had ever particularly commented on her looks. Her clansmen valued accomplishments over looks, and so they had never been particularly important to her. Maybe he was simply startled to see her out of makeup?

Then again, Bellamy had had a similar reaction even though he hadn't seen her without makeup...

She grimaced at the thought, Bellamy once again invading her thoughts, secretly wishing she would stop thinking about him. Maybe then it would be less confusing and she could stop mentally berating at herself for being attracted to him so that all he does now is cloud her thoughts.

She pushed it all away.

Wells closed his mouth, cheeks darkening as he quickly looked away, rubbing the back of the neck nervously. When he glanced back at her he looked as if he wanted to say something, but changed his mind last second.

Instead he asked, "why did you change?"

Emme looked down at herself and shrugged.

"I know you are still having your doubts about me, but I want you to know that I am not your enemy," Emme said, her tone wavered as she felt the usually feeling of her vulnerability sink in. She had been alone for a long time now. These teenagers from the sky gave her the opportunity for relationships that being part of Trikru could no longer provide her. In Wells she could see the potential of friendship. Something about him felt trustworthy, and she was drawn to him in a different way from Bellamy. Bellamy was a physical attraction, Wells felt like someone she could talk to, someone she could come to trust.

"I wanted to show you that I have nothing to hide," she said softly, hoping her sincerity showed.

Wells eyes were sharp as they studied her, seeming to look at her in a new light. "I believe you," he said, nodding his head solemnly as he took a step towards her.

Emme felt relief watched over her, feeling surprisingly happy at his response, and she couldn't help the small smile that crossed her lips.

After a pause, Wells continued. "Does anyone else know about you? Since, you know, you've been hanging around my people," he added dryly, looking almost amused.

Emme blinked at the question, wondering what made him ask that. Maybe Bellamy had mentioned her?

At her hesitation, Wells cocked his head. "Who?" he asked, before his face darkened into a frown. "It's Bellamy, isn't it," he stated, tone darkening. "You know he's bad news, right? You can't trust a word he says. He doesn't want our people to come down with us. He wants the rest of the hundred to take these off," he trailed off, lifting up his arm, revealing a chunky silver wristband. Emme stared at the piece of metal on his wrist. Why would Bellamy want them to take it off? What did it do?

"Our people sent us down to see if Earth was survivable," he explained, seeming to sense her confusion over the wristband. "These send our vital signs to our home, to the Ark, showing them if it's safe to follow. Bellamy has been convincing everyone to take off their wristbands so they don't come down."

Emme stared at him, startled by the vehemence behind Wells words. Was he telling the truth? Could Bellamy be trying to stop the rest of his people from coming down? She frowned at the thought. None of it made any sense. Even though she hadn't had much time to talk to Bellamy about himself, he seemed to care about his people. And if it was true, she had to wonder at the reason he could have to act like that.

Another thought distracted her. "There are more of you that are coming down? Why?" she asked, tilting her head, curiosity peaked. How could so many people live in the sky?

A flash of sadness crossed Wells face at her question. "It's because our home is dying. If they don't come down, the rest of my people will die...and Bellamy is trying to make it happen."

"Do you know why?" she asked. Wells shook his head.

"No one really knows, but if I had to guess I'd say it was because of his sister - she's one of the other delinquents," Wells explained. As a frown crossed her face, he hurried to explain. "The Ark sent down all of it's delinquents, and we're all under the age of eighteen. So, yeah, we're all criminals."

Emme processed it all for a moment. They were all criminals? Had they been sent down as punishment? Many other questions swirled through her mind. What were their crimes?

"What did his sister do?" she finally decided to ask. Bellamy hadn't mentioned a sister. But it would make sense, she thought, that she was the reason he wanted to get back to camp so desperately, to protect his family. She had thought the concern he had shown was for the rest of his group, she had admired him for it. It hadn't occurred to her that it might be something else.

Wells hesitated. "She was locked up for being born," he finally responded, voice quiet. He sounded ashamed. "On the Ark, a family can have just one child, and his mother broke that law. That's what got her floated, ah, I mean executed. Octavia was locked up only for being born."

Emme was both startled and horrified by the revelation. They would execute a mother for having a child? No clan would do such a thing, no clan would punish a child for being born. It seems too cruel. It made her wonder if what Wells was saying was true.

Emme wanted to believe Wells, the same way she wanted to believe in Bellamy, but part of her felt that Wells wanted to believe the worst of Bellamy simply because they didn't share the same views.

It was hard to view Bellamy in a bad light when all he wanted to do was protect his family. Even so, she could see why Wells could be concerned.

"It makes sense that he doesn't want the rest of your people to come down," she told him, tone serious.

Wells seemed startled by her words. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if your people treated his family so poorly, maybe he thinks that they don't deserve a second chance. It makes sense."

Wells just shook his head. "The law is absolute on the Ark. Everyone, including the Chancellor, the Council and the Guard, all follow them. It's how it's been since the Ark was first created. It's how we've survived. Bellamy and his family weren't targeted on purpose, they simply paid the price for committing their crimes."

Emme shook her head. "Paying the price for your crime makes sense. But a person should not be punishing a child for being born into the world. That is unreasonable, don't you see that?"

Wells expression changed from defensive to pensive at her comment, as if he was truly thinking it over.

Good, she thought. It reinforced the idea that she had been correct in confiding in Wells. He was smart. He could learn from the mistakes of his people and make the world a better place.

She gave him a moment to ponder before continuing. "So, what did you do to get put on that ship?" she asked, trying to bring the topic back around to the boy in front of her. She could think about Bellamy another time.

"I committed a petty crime the day of the launch because my best friend was on that ship, and I wanted to be there for her," he explained to her. Emme noticed how distant he seemed to get whenever he talked about Clarke. Something must have happened that strained their friendship.

Emme's mind drifted back to the blonde girl, Clarke, and how Wells always seemed to be nearby. He did it for Clarke. Unfortunately, Clarke only had eyes for Finn, but that didn't seem to make Wells jealous, meaning what he had with Clarke was purely platonic.

"You came here to protect Clarke, while Bellamy came here to protect his sister," Emme realized. "You both have the same intentions - protecting the people you love."

Wells went to speak, almost disliking being compared to Bellamy, but sighed instead.

"So you don't belong to the clans anymore? Why?" Wells asked changing the subject, his tone direct at first, but softened possibly assuming it was a tender topic for her.

Emme shook her head. "I'd rather not say."

"Does Bellamy know more?" he demanded. Emme shook her head again then headed for the door, avoiding his question. He didn't need to know. She peered out and saw the fog fading into the distance.

"You should get back to your camp now, the fog is gone," Emme said to him, opening up the door all the way. Wells sighed and got up, seeming to understand the dismissal, clutching the knife in his hand. He walked to the door and peered out into the distance, looking reluctant to leave

"You make it seem like Clarke is your only friend," Emme noted softly, seeing the look of dread in his eyes.

"It's a lot more complicated than that," Wells sighed. "Even Clarke used to hate me for a while, all because of a misunderstanding. Things are getting better between us, but it's slow going." He hesitated, before turning to face her completely. "Everyone back at the dropship hates me because my dad is the Chancellor, and he makes the decisions...both the good and the bad, including deciding who gets floated. He also was the one to decide to send us down to Earth, even though they didn't know if it was safe for us to do so. Like they're all expandable." He gritted his teeth in frustration. "They just naturally assume I'm just like him because I'm his son."

Emme could hear the bitterness in his voice as he spoke. "Well, if it makes you feel better, I don't think you're a bad person. And I don't think you should blame them for seeing your father in you," she said, reaching out and gripping his shoulder. "You just have to show them who you really are. Show them that Wells is different from his father."

Emme's words seemed to ease Wells' mind and he smiled at her softly.

"Do you need help getting back?" Emme asked. Wells shook his head, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you," he said before turning and disappearing down the tree and heading out of the valley, back to his camp.

Emme sighed. She honestly didn't want anymore people knowing about her. If they let it slip to any members of Trikru about where she was, things might turn sour.

* * *

A couple of hours went by and Emme was sharpening her sword when a knock at the door disturbed her. She frowned, eyeing the door. It was getting late, the evening sky darkening the space outside. Who would come to her at this time?

Emme slowly got up, keeping her blade in hand and headed to the door, opening it to find Bellamy standing outside.

She could see something was bothering him. His eyes were unreadable, even as he sent a forced smile her way.

"Is everything okay?" she asked cautiously. Although he didn't immediately answer her question, he seemed to relax at the sight of her, his shoulders sagging slightly. He took a step towards her and for a split second she thought he was going to hug her, but instead he reaching up to rub the back of his neck. He looked uncertain.

"Hate to admit it, but I was worried about you when that fog hit today," he explained softly. "I-I lost one of my people today because of it."

Emme's heart ached for him. She knew as he said it that Wells was wrong. Bellamy was concerned with more than just his sister. He cared about them all.

"My house is out of the fog's reach," Emme told him, giving him a reassuring smile. "I was safe, so don't worry, Sky Boy."

Teasing him, she knew, would bring a twinkle back to his eye, and it did. He smiled down at her looking grateful.

In that moment, Emme knew something had changed between them. She smiled back up at him and for the first time in forever she felt like she finally belonged with someone, even though it wasn't in the most conventional way.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Happy Saturday everyone! Review please! Feedback is encouraged and very appreciated! Thanks to everyone who reviewed so far! Special thanks, as always, to my Beta, KatieBees (who is away having fun in Mexico *dramatic sigh*)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Learning to remain cool and collected was something Bellamy knew how to do from a young age. He had always carried the weight and responsibility of his family on his shoulders, knowing that if he ever slipped up there was a good chance that his sister would pay the price.

It was for that reason that his one moment of weakness with Emme didn't sit well with him. Showing his feelings to Emme had been careless. He hardly knew her, but had shown her more of the real him than he was comfortable with, the part of him he did his best to hide away.

As much as he hated to admit it, he felt like he and Emme had formed a connection in the short amount of time they had spent together, regardless of how they had initially met. Giving into his feelings was something he did not want to do. He liked the simplicity of a no strings attached relationship, one that explored only the physical aspects, without ever dipping into with the emotional ones.

However, Emme would not ever fit into that spectrum. She was generally and all-together different from the other girls he knew, especially those he slept with, but for some reason, that made her all the more desirable.

Emme was independent, strong, fearless, yet compassionate, and that combination made Bellamy slowly crave more of her presence, even if he knew that getting to know her more and being around her was dangerous and toxic territory.

Emme had sent him back as soon as the sky began to darken and the walk back gave him plenty of time to consider what had happened over throughout the day. Despite all the bad things that had happened, his mind kept returning to the moment he had seen Emme, and the relief he had felt once he knew that she was okay.

Venturing to her home after the fog had cleared was something he had not initially planned, but after Atom's death, he wanted nothing more than to be in her presence. Bellamy felt partially responsible for his death. He knew that although he couldn't control the fog, he should have been looking out for both him and Charlotte.

Seeing her eyes soften as he admitted to his worry made him realize that something had changed in that moment. A glimmer of hope had radiated through both of them. It symbolized that maybe one day, things would be different. More than anything he wished he could have just gotten over himself and hugged her, but his mind didn't want to give in to his heart's temptation just yet.

After the deadly fog, Emme was beginning to feel like sunshine that had peered through the clouds on a stormy day.

Darkness had fully descended by the time Bellamy got back to camp. For the first time today, he felt himself relax as he laid in bed, his arms folded behind him. However, the sound of the fabric of his tent moving made Bellamy jump and broke his relaxing trance. He stood up warily, secretly hoping it was Emme, that somehow she found him, but he found himself slightly disappointed when the source of the noise was revealed to be Roma.

Roma gave a sweet, yet seductive smile towards Bellamy as she slipped fully into his tent. He had to admit Roma was extremely pretty, but at this point, no one compared to Emme anymore. Regardless of his feelings of indifference, he pushed them away and gave into his needs. He let Roma push herself up against him and kiss him. Ready to to let the day go, both physically and mentally, he pushed Roma down onto his bed.

* * *

The darkness of night covered everything like a blanket. Emme had laid down to sleep, but her mind wouldn't settle like she wanted it to. Instead it felt like her mind couldn't stop replaying today's events, pulling up her mixed feelings that she has towards him, towards Bellamy. She knew that it wasn't realistic thinking about him in that way, but those feelings kept taunting her, but yet thinking about him was something she didn't want to stop doing.

Emme felt like her thoughts kept getting louder and louder, to the point that she couldn't stand it anymore. Instead she sat up with a sigh, swinging her feet over the edge of the bed, placing her head in her hand and rubbing her temples. She knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep right now.

Her mind quieted down as she replayed the incident with the fog. She wondered if anyone else of Bellamy's people died because of it. Figuring she could use a distraction, she quickly prepared herself for the journey to the sky people's camp.

As she got closer and closer to the camp, her mind wondered to Bellamy. She wanted to go see him, but she didn't know where he slept and she didn't want to be seen and alarm everyone else in camp with her presence.

Climbing into a tree on the outside of their camp, Emme noted that not a lot of delinquents were still up. Some were still lingering around the fire, talking in hushed whispers but not attempting to keep their laughter a bay.

Noticing that everything seemed quiet enough, she decided it would be best to head back home. She didn't believe a lot of people got taken by the fog. Based on how Bellamy reacted with Atom, there would be a lot more people out right now. Although losing people was a part of life, it left an unsettling feeling that made it hard to go back to the ordinary for some time.

Climbing down the tree, she skirted around the outside of the camp, stalling her journey home.

Finally turning to leave, Emme froze as she saw someone in the distance. They were sitting away from camp, alone in the dark.

A branch cracked and Emme tilted her head to listen. Someone else was out there. Keeping away from the sparse moonlight which trickled in through the trees, she snuck towards the figure, hoping to see who it was. That's when a flash of movement caught her eye.

It was a small girl, perhaps around the age of eleven or twelve. Emme couldn't help but notice the look of immense worry and nervousness on her features and wondered what was wrong. She watched the little girl walk up to the person that was turned away from Emme and spoke something that Emme could not hear. The person turned to talk to her.

It was Wells.

Emme inched closer, her curiosity peaking as she wondered why the little girl was out this late and by herself. She felt like something about this girl wasn't right. Emme inched closer again as her mind wandered back to her conversation she had with Wells and how much of the delinquents had a personal vendetta against his family. If everyone that came down here was a criminal, did that include the little girl?

Emme noticed how fidgety the little girl seemed to be and how uncomfortable she was near Wells. Her suspicions proved to be accurate when the little girl pulled a makeshift knife out of her pants pocket. Then she faintly heard the little girl tell Wells that she was sorry.

In that moment, the world went quiet in Emme's mind as her vision slowed. She felt her stomach churn as she sprung up, coming to the realization that she didn't care if anyone saw her. She raced towards them as fast as her legs could take her, heartbeat pounding rapidly, she knew what the girl was doing - she was going to try to kill Wells.

Just as the little girl was inches from Wells' neck, Emme tackled the girl to the ground. Pinning her down, Emme drew her own small knife out and she pressed it against the little girl's throat, breathing heavily as her anger consumed her. The girl beneath her was crying and tried to push Emme away, but failed to do so.

Cursing in her native language, she made her presence known throughout the delinquents camp. Because of this, her angered attempts to keep the girl down didn't last long after that. Emme was suddenly hoisted up off the girl into the grasp of someone as her knife was ripped from her hand.

Slowly Emme's senses came back to her and she realized what had happened. Her heartbeat continued to pound into her ears, but little by little, it started to soften. Hearing some of the people run out of the camp. She could now hear the little girl crying, Wells moaning in pain, holding a hand to his bloody neck, how heavily she was breathing, and how loud the crowd was. Looking up, she saw that Bellamy was the one who pulled her off the girl, his arms tightly wrapped around her body, holding her firmly against him. Her eyes wandered, seeing Clarke run to Wells and Finn run to the girl, helping her to her feet and keeping her away from the chaos. A crowd formed at the camp's entrance.

"What are you doing?" Bellamy hissed down at her. He looked like he didn't know what to make of her actions. Which she understood, since all he must have seen was her attack the little girl.

"She had a knife, she was about to kill him," she replied quietly.

His expression changed to one of shock as he glanced up to stare at the young girl. The distrust that had momentarily crossed his face as he looked at Emme had disappeared, and Emme felt relieved. She didn't want to lose the trust she had been building with him.

Emme listened to Clarke and Finn talking to Wells and the young girl, trying to figure out what had happened. It didn't take her long to find out the girl's name was Charlotte.

"What's happened here?" A new voice spoke up. Emme watched Murphy step away from the crowd, walking up to her and Bellamy, his eyes held a vast amount of anger. "Did you try to kill another one of our people?" he asked, looking at her as if she was the dirt beneath his feet. She looked away, choosing to not respond.

"That's not what happened," Wells spoke up. He got up with a wince, much to Clarke's protest, and walked over to them, holding his now bandaged neck.

"She saved me."

Murphy gave him a skeptical look, before he rolled his eyes. "Yeah right," he mocked. "From what? The little girl?"

"It's true," Wells said firmly. "Charlotte tried to kill me."

Wells' voice trailed off, his gaze connecting with Emme's. He took a deep breath and looked around desperately for someone to give him the benefit of the doubt. Clarke and Finn stayed quiet, observing, neither seeming to know what to say, or maybe wondering what was about to unfold.

Meanwhile, Charlotte stayed quiet, her cries finally subsided, a look of both guilt and fright on her young features. Bellamy had dropped his arms from her body, but Emme didn't mind, finding comfort in his presence regardless. For a split second, he reached to her, squeezed her arm gently in reassurance.

"You're telling me you let a little girl almost kill you?" Murphy asked, laughing as he took another step towards them. "So, this little grounder girl saved you for no reason?" he then scoffed. "She probably came back to finish off Jasper when you two got in her way."

A mumble of agreements went through the crowd. Murphy turned and fixated his gaze on her, a sickening smile crept across his face. He tilted his head to the side, his eyes mocking her.

"I didn't know they sent girls to do their dirty work. No wonder she failed. Look at her," he spat, looking up and down at her in disgust. "She couldn't even take out the two weakest people in this camp."

At that, Emme felt her blood begin to boil. Bellamy must have felt her tense up, for she felt a hand on the small of her back, maybe trying to reassure her that she was safe.

"Murphy, back off," Bellamy shot back, his tone annoyed.

"Are you defending a grounder?" Murphy spat, his eyes narrowing at him. Bellamy opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated, making Murphy raise his eyebrows.

"Well, since our fearless leader has nothing to say, it's up to us," he started, the smile still on his face as he turned back towards the crowd, "What are we going to do with this ground bitch?"

Taking only a second to react, Emme hooked the back of her leg around Bellamy's and pulled him forward, stepping aside as it forced him to tumble to the ground. When he landed, Emme darted up to Murphy a gave him a swift but powerful punch to his stomach. As a result Murphy hunched forward, gasping for air. Her attack seemed to send a wave of shock and anger through the crowd and a couple of the guys nearest stepped towards her, fists clenched. Knowing they would attack her if she gave them the chance, she drew her sword and pointed it at Murphy.

"Tell them to back off," she demanded, the sword inches away from his face. Murphy's eyes widened and raised his hands up, scrambling to his feet, backing away from her. Emme knew he was all talk. Murphy signaled them to back off, which they reluctantly did, perhaps not wanting Emme to strike again.

Although Emme wasn't finished with him just yet. Putting her sword back in its place, she grabbed his arm and used her entire body to flip the delinquent over her head, making his body thud loudly as it hit the ground. All the mumbles from the teens around her silenced. Looking up at Bellamy, he gave her a shocked, but slightly impressed look. She walked away from Murphy, ignoring his wheezing as he adjusted to the aftermath of the blow, giving Bellamy a short apologetic glance as he got back to his feet.

Emme quickly dismissed her anger, a slight smile played on her lips that held nothing but satisfaction. When Murphy finally scrambled to his feet yet again, he hunched over, clearly still in pain.

"Okay, you asked for it," he sneered before lunging at her. Emme smiled as he gave away his attack. She quickly side stepped him, sending him tumbling back to the ground.

"Murphy, stop this," Wells spoke, moving to stand between them. "If she wanted to kill any of us, she easily could have. I'm telling you-" he broke off, looking around at everyone.

"So you knew who she was this whole time and didn't bother to tell us? Why are you both protecting her?" Murphy asked, standing up, gritting his teeth in anger. Whispers broke out in the crowd. Wells desperately looked at Charlotte, perhaps hoping that she would admit to her crime, but her gaze didn't meet his, so Wells looked towards Bellamy.

"Bellamy, you can stop this," Wells pleaded. Everyone turned to Bellamy.

"Oh please, you think he is in charge here?" Murphy mocked, then shook his head, laughing, "He only came down here to protect his little brat sister, he doesn't have the balls."

"Watch it, Murphy," Bellamy shot back angrily.

"I'm telling you all, that she saved me, on more than one occasion," Wells tried again.

"Why should we believe you?" Someone spoke out from the crowd.

"Mbege is right, Chancellor," Murphy mocked, sarcasm rolling off his tongue without any effort. Mbege, who was the one who spoke up, came and stood beside Murphy, as did a couple other guys who mumbled in agreement. "You are just like your father, thinking you have authority over everything. But I'm not going to let some grounder princess come into this camp and try to kill anyone else. I say we kill her," he then exclaimed, nodding to Mbege, who had come to stand near Bellamy and Emme as the crowd cheered with agreement.

Noticing their close proximity, Emme gripped her sword tighter, ready to fight if the situation turned for the worse. Looking up at Bellamy, her stomach flipped painfully when he wouldn't meet her glance. Knowing that he wasn't going to give up his position of power to save her, she attempted to run, only to be tripped by Mbege, who luckily anticipated her move. As she hit the ground, she cursed as her sword tumbled out of her grasp and slid out of reach.

As the crowd came closer, Emme desperately wished her sword was in hand. She wanted to grab it but there was no time. As the first person came within reach, she lashed out.

One blow to her side sent her to the ground in a wave of excruciating pain. She felt kicks all over her body as she yelled in agony. She heard a couple of screams, probably from those who were trying to stop the madness, but there was too many people. Every attempt she made to get up, run, or even fight back was halted.

Knowing that she had to stop fighting, Emme curled up, doing her back to protect herself, waiting for the end, as time slowed down.

Almost like a ray of light after a dark day, a gunshot was heard. Everyone who was around her backed up, letting Emme gasp for air and scramble to her knees, her hands digging in the dirt as she tried to stabilize herself. Looking up, she saw Bellamy holding his gun in the air, a grave expression on his face.

Emme coughed, spitting out blood, feeling grateful despite her pain. She felt someone grasp her arm and attempt to pull her to her feet. Looking up she met Bellamy's worried gaze as he tucked in his gun back into his waistband. When her knees gave out and picked her up. Grateful for the support, her head fell against his shoulder, resting, tears prickling at her eyes.

Emme was a great warrior, but how could she stand up against all of these people by herself?

"If anyone else touches her, I will personally kill you with my bare hands," Bellamy said calmly, his voice venomous, walking away with Emme. As her body realized she was safe, her eyes drifted closed and she slipped into a painful black oblivion.

* * *

"This is your fault," Wells said bitterly, watching over Emme carefully as Clarke treated her injuries. Bellamy didn't respond. Actually, he hadn't said a single word since they moved Emme into his tent, even ignoring all the looks Wells and Clarke shot at him.

Although he did stop them from killing Emme, he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt that was slowly eating away at him to the point he felt nauseated. Instead of responding, he sat next to Emme with his elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped tightly under his chin, hoping Emme would wake up and be okay.

The tent opened to reveal Octavia, who looked worried. Walking over, she plopped down besides Bellamy, but kept her gaze on Emme. Bellamy knew at first that Octavia was just as mad as Clarke and Wells, but because she could read him and could tell what he was thinking, she kept her mouth shut.

"How is she?" Octavia asked, the question was directed towards Clarke. Bellamy's head shot up as Clarke started talking, ready to hang on to every word. Clarke glared at Bellamy for a moment, then responded.

"She's okay, she just needs to rest," Clarke spoke, she then got up, getting near Bellamy."Why didn't you just tell us about her? We could have prevented this."

Bellamy didn't respond, just looked down, a feeling of shame creeping over him.

Clarke then took her leave, soon to be followed by Octavia, who gave Wells a reassuring look and Bellamy a gentle squeeze on his shoulder.

"I didn't want this to happen," Bellamy admitted out loud. "I didn't think it would get that out of hand."

It took him a while to find the right words to say, but at the same time he knew that nothing could make up for it. Even though he stopped them from killing Emme, he knew in a way he had betrayed her. She saved him multiple times and the one time she would ever possibly need him, he had failed her.

Wells just nodded, keeping his gaze on Emme.

Clarke popped her head back into Bellamy's tent, her gaze falling upon Wells'.

"Come on Wells, you need to get some rest," she said. In response Wells gave a wary look in Bellamy's direction before getting up. "Don't worry, Bellamy won't screw up twice."

When Wells left reluctantly and Bellamy was finally alone with his thoughts, he broke down, letting a few warm tears stream down his face, but brushed them away quickly. He leaned over Emme, admiring her as she slept. Her face was slightly swollen and discolored, but cleaned of the black paint that normally graced her features, Clarke having removed it and her clothes to check her injuries. His heart ached at his eyes trailed over what skin he could see that was covered in slowly forming bruises and cuts. Leaning down further, he pressed his lips against her forehead, before placing a blanket over her sleeping figure and laying down beside her, attempting to get some sleep.

* * *

The sounds of screams jolted Bellamy awake. His eyes shot open and before he could react hands forcibly grabbed him and dragged him out of his tent, his own hands quickly bound behind his back, a cloth tied tightly across his eyes. Kicking frantically, he attempted to get out of their hold when something smashed against the side of his head. For a moment he blacked out entirely, feeling his body going limp before consciousness quickly drifted back to him. A wet trickle down the side of his face told him he was bleeding.

He felt himself get weaker, feeling dizzy and disorientated. He was shoved to his knees and forced to stay like that. He heard yells of frustration and confusion, coming from around him as he panicked. Were they being attacked by grounders?

Bellamy could feel the sun warming his back, though the air was still chilly. He had taken off his jacket last night, and felt goosebumps crawl across his skin. He brushed off the cold with a shaky cough.

Suddenly a noise broke through the chaos and everything was quiet. The cloth was ripped off Bellamy's face and his worried eyes turned into a glare when he looked into Murphy's dark eyes. He stood there, Emme's sword in his hands, with a smug look on his face.

"Well, good morning sunshine," he sang, sarcasm dripping off his words. Murphy stood there, looking pleased as he silently mocked Bellamy and his current predicament. Bellamy felt a growl rumble through his chest as he radiated with anger.

"What are you doing, Murphy?" he demanded, feeling reality catch up to him. Turning around, he noticed that a lot of people weren't up yet, but those who could potentially help Murphy being guarded by some of his followers. Fortunately for him, Octavia was still safe in her tent. The rest of his followers were standing behind Murphy, smirks on their faces. When he realized where he had been and who he had been with when they grabbed him, a shot of panic filled through his system.

"Where is she?"

Murphy nodded his head, motioning to the right of them. Bellamy's eyes followed and immediately tried to get up, only falling to his feet when he realized that they too were bound. Emme was standing on a small crate, still clad in her undergarments. One end of the wires was tied to the tree above her, the other end tightly bound around her neck. He could see her trying not to move, her feet barely perched on the crate beneath her, gagging in discomfort.

Bellow her, Mbege stood to one side, holding the ends of the wire tightly in hand. Beside him stood Dax, another of Murphy's followers, large spear in hand.

"Let her go," Bellamy yelled at them. Every fiber of his being was burning with anger. He couldn't let this happen to her. He couldn't let her down again. Murphy twirled Emme's sword around, ignoring his plea.

"You know, Bellamy. You've been in charge here for far too long. You come down here, with your guard's uniform and your gun, automatically assuming you're in charge. I don't care whether or not you were a guard, or how old you are, or even if you're pounding a grounder now. It's over. And when we kill her, everything will be set. I will be our new found leader, and all those who don't like that, can get floated just like this bitch." He walked up to Emme, a smirk on his face.

"Murphy," Bellamy started. He couldn't pull himself out of the wires that were currently keeping him retained. "We can talk about this. We can both get what we want."

"You let this little bitch almost kill Wells, Charlotte, Jasper, and even me. What if she went after you sister next, huh?" he asked him. Bellamy's eyes went to Emme, watching her slow her actions in desperate hope to save herself. When he saw her eyes dart around, almost as if she was planning something, he knew he had to act fast.

"You're not killing anyone. She has done nothing but defend herself against you," Bellamy said, desperately trying to reason with him. When he noticed movement in the distance, inching forward slowly in the trees, his eyes darted back to Emme.

Murphy shook his head and walked to where Emme was. He pressed his foot against the crate she stood on, making it waver. Emme gasped and brought her bound hands to her neck, trying to prevent her death.

"You have five seconds to give in," Murphy said, ready to kick the box out from underneath Emme's feet.

"Five," Bellamy's eyes darted to the the person in the trees, almost pleading to them. If they were watching and they could help, why weren't they? Emme had helped him. He had to believe that there were others like her out there.

"You're not killing Emme," Bellamy stated firmly.

"Emme, huh?" Murphy retorted, snorting a laugh. "I knew you were pounding this," he said, slapping her butt. Emme's foot rose up and kicked Murphy in the back of the head as he turned around to face Bellamy. It made the wire tighten around her neck and caused her to choke a bit, but the look on her face told Bellamy that it was worth it.

"You little bitch," Murphy hissed, using her sword and hit her in the side, the blow hit her side, cutting her, but she did not falter.

"Four seconds Bellamy," Murphy called, pressing his foot more firmly to the crate. Bellamy felt bile bubble up to his throat. What could he do to stop this? If gave in to Murphy, to his desperate attempt to have power, he would kill Emme. If he refused, he would still kill Emme. Nothing he could do or say would change Murphy's mind.

"Whether or not I give up, you're still going to kill her."

"Three."

"Two. "

"You can have your power," Bellamy called out. "Just don't kill her."

Before Murphy could even say another word, an arrow shot out from the bushes and pierced through the middle of Dax's chest. The boy briefly grasped his chest, eyes wide before falling forward, dead. A second arrow soared through the air, cutting the wires that held Emme up.

At the same moment, Murphy kicked the crate out from under her. Using the momentum of the tumbling crate to her advantage, Emme jumped up, grabbing the branch that was about three feet above her head, and swung her body up to sit on it.

Emme proceeded to unwrap the wiring from the tree and jumped down to the ground and attempted to flee, but was restricted by Mbege, who wasn't going to give up without a fight. At that moment, Bellamy could see something shift in Emme's expression, her face turning deadly. Flipping the boy over her head, she wrapped the wire around his neck, the wire started to piece into his throat as she continued to strangle him in a fit of fiery rage.

When he fell to the ground, dead, the whole clearing fell quiet. Bellamy looked at her in shock. She stood slowly, covered in blood that was clearly not her own. She looked fierce and for the first time, Bellamy could see the warrior she truly was underneath her kind exterior. She was impressive. And terrifying.

A third arrow suddenly shot through the air and hit Murphy in the shoulder and he fell to the ground with a pained yelp. Emme looked in the direction the arrow had come from and nodded.

Who was out there?

"Is anyone else with him?" Emme Emme said, her voice cool and even, easily heard in the quiet clearing She grabbed the sword that Murphy had dropped as he fell to the ground and cut her wrists free. No one moved. Everyone seemed hesitant to follow their leader. They looked like they wanted to attack her, but after what they just saw, they knew she had the ability to kill whoever she wanted and had no qualms about doing so.

Bellamy couldn't breath. He felt like everything was in slow motion. Two of his people were dead, one was injured, and he witnessed Emme kill someone with zero remorse in her eyes.

Bellamy soon noticed Clarke and Octavia standing at the edge of the clearing, mouths open in shock. Finn suddenly burst through the trees behind them and Emme seemed to instinctively raised her sword in his direction, looking ready to kill whoever else tried to attack her.

When her eyes met Finn's shocked gaze, she lowered her sword, and looked away. He ran up to where Clarke was, and Bellamy heard him asking them what happened.

Wells pushed his way through the crowd, a blanket in his hands, his expression unreadable. He wrapped Emme with it, but didn't say anything. Something in Emme's expression softened and she smiled softly at the teen, nodding her thanks as she let the blanket drape loosely around her.

Emme then turned towards Bellamy and walked up to where he was still kneeling on the ground. Her expression was closed and guarded as she eyed him.

In that moment, he believed that she was going to kill him. The only emotion he could take from her expression was a sort of grave glance. A part of him did think that he deserved it, he should have stopped it sooner, he should have been protecting her more, not that she needed it.

He had pushed Emme into being the grounder that he knew she was, but never saw.

Much to his surprise, she used her sword to cut him free, then disappeared into the woods, without ever casting a single glance back, just leaving an unsettling feeling in the pit of Bellamy's stomach.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Happy Saturday everyone! Special thanks to my wonderful beta, Katiebees. Review please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

The Murphy incident weighed heavily on Bellamy's mind. He felt so disappointed in himself, for letting Emme get in the way of his battles, but at the same time, he didn't know what else he could have possibly done. He could have tried to reason with Murphy more, but knew the chances of the other boy listening were slim to none.

Thinking of how Murphy was still in the camp made his head hurt. He didn't want to force another confrontation, at least not yet. He needed to settle his mind first before adding to the chaos. With the agreement of some of the others, Murphy had been locked in the top level of the drop ship until further notice. No one wanted to be near him, and even Clarke didn't want to treat his arrow wound.

Bellamy understood why she would be skeptical, he did, but what could he do? He wasn't going to kill Murphy, not because he felt any sympathy towards him, but because of the others. Many were still in grief over the death of Dax and Mbege, whose lifeless bodies were now resting beneath the soil.

Bellamy knew that if he let Murphy roam free, there was a good chance someone would take matters into their own hands. Many of them blamed Murphy for everything that had happened, believing that if it hadn't been for him, the two dead boys would still be alive. Bellamy wondered if the whole situation had blown out of Murphy's control when he underestimated Emme, not anticipated how much of a fight she would put up.

Thinking about Emme made his chest hurt. He wished he had gone after her the moment she'd cut him free, but hadn't been able to bring himself to do it. What could he say to her? Would she even want to talk to him? What if she moved away and he never had a chance to see her again?

Bellamy exited his tent, finally able to pull himself out of bed to face the day. Stretching, he saw everyone was working, keeping quiet. When they noticed he was up, they cast him quick but wary glances, as it they didn't know what to make of him, before turning back to their work.

Since the incident, everyone watching Bellamy with careful eyes. He could sense that the respect he had built with them had faltered. However, right now, they needed him to be a leader, not a killer.

After Emme had left and Murphy had been contained, Bellamy had gone back to his tent, anger and shame coursing through his veins. His anger must have been apparent to everyone around him, since they all kept their distance, even Octavia. He had decided that it would be better to lock himself away instead of lashing out at those around him. They didn't deserve it.

"Bellamy!" Octavia's voice cut through his thoughts as he walked. Her cry was frantic and immediately chilled him to the bone. Without a second thought, he dashed in the direction her voice had come from, panic sweeping through him. As he approached her, he was relieved to see his sister was fine, even if the person leaning heavily against her was not.

Even if he hadn't seen the sword the other held in hand, he would have still recognized the long brown hair that dangled messily in front of a dirty, blood stained face. Running to them, he grabbed her sword, passing it to Octavia before scooping Emme into his arms.

"Clarke," she mumbled, head drooping, her hand pressed tightly against her side. Bellamy was alarmed to see the dark crimson liquid that seeped through her fingers and down her side. Tightening his grip on her, he quickly carried her to the dropship where he knew he would find Clarke.

"What happened to her?" Clarke asked asked as they approached, quickly moving supplies off the table in the bottom level of the dropship to give him a place to lay her down. Bellamy shook his head.

"We don't know, she just came stumbling here, asking for you," Octavia explained for him, helping Bellamy place Emme on the table. Glancing over her, Bellamy wondered if she had been attacked on her way home, the injuries she had received earlier making her an easy target.

Bellamy cursed to himself, realizing that he should have immediately gone after her. He sat down next to the table and put his head into his hands. Feeling a hand rest on his shoulder, he looked up to meet Emme's reassuring glance.

Giving him a soft smile, she squeezed his shoulder, almost as if she was telling him that it would be okay. It was a small gesture, but it was what Bellamy needed right now. In response, he gave her a gentle look, taking her hand in his and holding it tightly as Clarke started to tend to her injuries.

Emme had deep cuts along her arms and her stomach. Red bruises trailed along her torso and back, her face was still partially swollen from before. Soon Clarke had her sitting up, much to Bellamy's dismay, so she could treat the wounds on her back.

"What did this to you? An animal or another grounder?" Clarke asked, cleaning her wound with water and a cloth. Flinching, Emme grabbed Bellamy's hand tighter as she hissed in pain.

"Neither," she said, relaxing a bit as the pain slowly ebbed away. "Reapers."

"What's a reaper?" Octavia asked, pushing herself off the wall, her curiosity peaked. Bellamy and Clarke helped her Emme lay back down, and Clarke began treating the stab wound on her stomach.

"Monsters," Emme choked out, then turned away from them, squeezing her eyes shut. Bellamy realized that she didn't like to show anyone that she was weak, so instead of allowing the silence to linger, he pressed the issue.

"Where do they come from?" he asked, his hand still holding hers firmly.

"Mountain men," she rasped, her eyes still closed. Emme seemed tired and Bellamy was determined to be there for her, whatever she needed, but right now, she needed some rest.

"You're going to have to take it easy for a while, Emme," Clarke spoke, finished patching her up. "You have several lacerations, but they will heal in time."

Emme opened her eyes to look at the blonde and nodded. Bellamy knew that Emme was stubborn, but she wasn't idiotic. She knew that this wasn't just a cut or a bruise, she had major damage to her body, and she had to keep herself safe, which meant hiding, whether she liked it or not.

"Thank you, Clarke," she said. "I didn't know where else to go, usually I heal myself, but the wounds on my back-"

Clarke cut her off, "It's not a problem, really."

Bellamy could tell that despite of the attack, Clarke generally liked Emme, but he thought that a part of Clarke knew that Emme had been pushed to the edge earlier. He knew that everyone would be more careful around her from now on, and that relieved him.

Emme nodded, released Bellamy's hand, and went to get up. In response, Bellamy jumped up, pushing her back down gently.

"I can't stay here," Emme spoke lightly, wincing for a moment, before composing herself. "I should go back home."

"But you need to rest," Bellamy retorted, his gaze soft, yet firm. She shouldn't be walking around in this condition.

"She's right Bellamy," Octavia said, coming to Emme's side. "We need to get her back to her home because being here isn't the safest place for her."

"What about the reapers?" Clarke asked. Emme shook her head before getting back up.

"Not smart enough to find it. They just aim for a person and try to take them," Emme responded. "My home is hidden away from basically everyone, if I go there, no one would bother me that would mean me any harm."

Clarke had been putting away her supplies, but paused to look at her again.

"What do they do?" she asked, her eyes firm. "The reapers."

"They take people. And if your people ever saw you again, you would be just like them, you would be a monster."

"They turn people into monsters?" Octavia asked, looking confused.

"The mountain men do," Emme replied.

"Why?" Clarke asked.

"Another weapon to protect their precious mountain," Emme retorted bitterly.

"Come on, I should get you home," Bellamy said, changing the subject, sensing Emme's growing reluctance to continue the topic.

"Bell, can I help?" Octavia asked, looking eager to help. Bellamy wondered if she really wanted to help Emme, or is she was simply curious about where the grounder lived. Bellamy shook his head at his little sister.

"No, it's not safe," Bellamy said. She shot him an unimpressed look in response, but a hint of worry crossed her features. He gave her a small smile. "I'll be careful.

"Can I come?" another voice rang out. Wells had come into the dropship, although no one seemed to notice he was there until he announced himself. Bellamy guessed that he had come in to check on Emme, which he was grateful for in a way, but something about Wells getting attached to Emme made him feel weird. He knew that everyone in camp was now aware that he was friends with the grounder, but they didn't know the conflicting emotions he felt for her.

"Wells?" Clarke asked, looking confused about why Wells would want to go.

"Wells can come, he's been there before," Emme said. Bellamy had to stop himself from groaning out loud, but didn't say anything. He knew that Wells had mentioned that Emme had saved him, but why hadn't she told him?

"When?" Bellamy asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

"When I saved him from the fog," Emme told him. "He was out with Clarke and Finn getting medicine for Jasper."

Bellamy just nodded at her, knowing that in no way he could change her mind. Even if he didn't want Wells to come, it wasn't his decision, and he wasn't in charge of her. Although that didn't push away the thoughts that were running through his mind.

He wondered about what happened after Emme saved Wells from the fog, if anything did happen, or even how long they spent together. He hated being this way, but something about another guy spending time with Emme sent a possessive flare through him. Even though he knew Emme wasn't his, not yet, he wanted to be the one she chose.

"Are you sure?" he asked her, desperately hoping she would say no to Wells request.

"Yes, now come on, we should go," Emme said, beginning to sound annoyed. It was clear her decision was final. Bellamy nodded and went to pick her up.

"What are you doing?" she asked Bellamy, who was pulled her carefully into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, adjusting against him.

"You're not walking, Clarke said you need to rest," Bellamy responded, holding her tight.

"But you don't have to carry me," Emme told him, unamused, but not fighting him.

"I know," Bellamy retorted, amused at her stubbornness, but loving the feeling of her being in his arms. Realizing he was giving in again, he pushed away those feelings.

"Come on guys," Wells said, exiting the drop ship first, motion for them to follow him quickly. Bellamy exited the drop ship with Emme. He felt eyes on him from the delinquents in camp, but he ignored them. His main focus was getting Emme home.

"Wait," Clarke called out, exiting the drop ship but remained on the platform. Bellamy stopped and turned around to face her. "The arrows that came out of the forest. Was that a friend of yours?"

Bellamy looked down at Emme, realizing he didn't know the answer to that question either. It didn't make sense with what she had told him about herself. Her expression was blank, although she reluctantly nodded.

"I thought you were banished?" Bellamy asked.

"Banished?" Clarke asked, fully coming down the ramp. Emme nodded at Clarke.

"I am banished," she told them.

"Why?" Clarke asked. Emme hesitated as Wells came to stand beside them, seemingly equally curious to the answer to the question. Emme hesitated.

"Perhaps this is a story for another time," Emme spoke, looking down. Bellamy knew not to press the issue any further.

"Okay, we should head out," he told her. Bellamy felt her nod as she seemed to curl up smaller in his arms. He was grateful he got to hold her in this moment, that he was the one to provide her with the comfort she needed.

They quickly started their journey towards Emme's home.

"If you need anything, we can come by every now and then," Wells said, falling into pace beside Bellamy. Bellamy kept quiet, pressing his lips together firmly.

"No, that's not necessary. I can't risk your lives to check on me. If I need anything, I will find you," Emme said, leaning her head against Bellamy's chest. Bellamy felt himself grow warm in response.

"He's right, Clarke said rest," Bellamy admitted, not liking to agree with Wells. But he knew that Wells was right. Emme needed to rest and he would do whatever he could to make sure she did.

"Stop treating me like a child, Bellamy," Emme snapped, annoyed. She unwrapped her arms from his neck and tried to get down. "Let me down."

"No," Bellamy said firmly, holding her tighter, while trying not to hurt her. His level of annoyance was rising and he didn't want to snap at her.

"Bellamy," Emme started, her tone darkening.

"Guys, if you just stop arguing, please," Wells butted in, trying to be the voice of reason. Bellamy rolled his eyes at him but nodded, deciding to keep quiet the rest of the way to Emme's home.

After a long quiet walk, they finally entered Emme's shelter. Bellamy took her straight back to her bedroom, pulling back the blanket with one arm and resting her down on the bed with the other. She adjusted herself, getting comfortable, then glanced up at him.

"Do you want to change into anything else?" Bellamy asked her, edging towards her closet.

"You would like that, wouldn't you," Wells mumbled, resting against the door frame, arms folded across his chest. Bellamy shot him a dark look. Wells pushed away from the frame and went to sit next to Emme on her bed. He put his hand onto hers and squeezed it gently. Emme glanced at the teen and smiled.

"Do you need anything at all?" Wells asked her, his tone gentle. Emme shook her head, a smile still played on her lips.

Bellamy sighed angrily, thinking about how much he wanted to throw a tantrum. Deciding otherwise, he angrily walked back up the main room and poured her a cup of water. Coming back into the bedroom, he walked past the two, who started a conversation of no importance, and placed it loudly on the table next to her bed, lighting the lamp as well. Bellamy then went to her closet and grabbed a black pair of pants made of a soft material and a black tank top and then came back into the room.

"Wells, get out," he snapped at the boy. Instantly, Wells looked ready to argue, but Emme placed her hand on his arm and squeezed it. Wells softened a bit at her touch and gave her a sweet look before getting up and exiting the room which Bellamy made a point of closing firmly behind him.

"You don't need to act so rude towards him," Emme said, pushing herself up slowly, a pained look on her face. Bellamy pushed her gently back to sitting on the bed and handed her the clothes.

"You should see how he looks at you," Bellamy replied darkly. He looked up into her eyes and noticed how they softened. She smiled at him, taking her hand and lifted it up the the right side of his face. Caressing it, Bellamy felt jitters go through his system and he closed his eyes at her tender touch. At this moment he wanted to kiss her, but he didn't know what she was feeling.

Opening his eyes, her golden brown eyes sparkled. They kept their gaze and Bellamy leaned in, wanting so badly to kiss her, to see if her lips were as soft as they looked. He felt this sensation bubble up inside of him, feeling that he would explode if anything but what he wanted happened.

Scooting over, he placed both of his hands on her face, letting his thumbs caress her softly. Emme smiled lightly and leaned in. When they were barely an inch apart, Emme winced, hand springing to her side as she hunched over in pain.

Bellamy, who was still caught in the moment, groaned in frustration and opened his eyes, only to feel terrible when he saw that she was bleeding again through her bandages. He quickly grabbed supplies, keeping Wells locked out, much to his protest, and unwrapped her bandages. Following her instructions, he patched her back up and helped her get into the change of clothes he brought for her.

Once they finished, he helped her lay down on her bed again pulling the blanket up to cover her chest.

"Bellamy," she started, reaching up for his face. He let her caress his cheek again and he smiled at her. "You know you have nothing to worry about with Wells, regardless of his feelings towards me."

Bellamy nodded, loving the feeling of her hands on him. He didn't want to argue. Regardless of how Wells treated Emme, he knew at that moment, that she only had eyes for him.

Wells knocked on the door.

"Can I come back in now?" he asked, his tone impatient. Bellamy gave Emme a look and she nodded, squeezing his hand in the process.

"Come in, Wells," Bellamy said bitterly.

* * *

Sky darkening, Bellamy was resting on the edge of the cliff, his legs hanging off carelessly. He felt absolutely sick to his stomach, and there was a nagging voice in his head that told him he should jump. Maybe then the overwhelming guilt that filled his chest would go away.

"Hey," a voice called from behind him. Bellamy turned around to meet Wells' dark and somber eyes. Turning away, he watched the water and rocks down below, the sick feeling still resonating in his stomach.

"I'm sorry about Charlotte," Wells said, coming to sit down next to him, folding his hands in his lap. Bellamy just nodded, not even bothering to glance back up at him again. He didn't feel like he needed to.

When Wells and Bellamy returned to camp after they took Emme back to her home, they heard about what had unfolded while they were gone.

One of Murphy's followers, Jones, had let Murphy out of the dropship, and chaos had ensued from there. Murphy had stormed through the camp, blaming everything on Charlotte. That Mbege and Dax were now dead because of her, that he got shot with an arrow because of her, and any other misfortune that happened since they'd landed on the ground.

At the accusations, Charlotte's guilt had overwhelmed her and soon after, she had thrown herself off the very cliff Bellamy was sitting on.

After gently telling them the bad news, Clarke informed them that her and Finn had decided to banish Murphy from the camp, and even though the boy had fought to stay, they had managed to get rid of him.

Bellamy swore that if he ever got his hand on him, he would kill Murphy - for Charlotte.

"I wasn't there for her. She must have been so scared," Bellamy whispered, thinking about how innocent Charlotte had seemed, about how she reminded him so much of Octavia when she was that age. He beat himself up over it when he found out, and went to the spot where they said she jumped and sat there until this very moment.

"I wish I would have known her feelings towards me, I would have talked to her," Wells said. Bellamy turned to look at the teen, his eyes softening. "If I would have done that, maybe she wouldn't have jumped. Maybe she would still be here right now."

"You couldn't have known she was going to try to kill you," Bellamy told him, for a brief moment, trying to bring comfort to the teen who he hated a couple hours ago. "I shouldn't have told her to slay her demons."

"Yeah, well, she took that literally," Wells mumbled sarcastically. Bellamy stifled a dark laugh.

"My mom told me that when I was a kid, I didn't try to kill everyone who did us wrong," Bellamy told him.

"She wasn't as mature as you were, Bellamy. She didn't have anything to lose. She already lost her parents. You had Octavia and your Mom to think about. Even if you thought about having your revenge, you wouldn't have done it."

"This is all my fault," Bellamy repeated.

Wells shook his head. "If she felt that she needed to kill me from an analogy from you, there's no telling what she would be capable of doing next," he started. "She tried to kill me the same way Clarke ended Atom's life. That's what caused it, not you. She made her own decision. It's unfortunate that it ended this way, but she did slay her demons. It just wasn't me, it was her own mind."

Bellamy got up, taking one last look at the ground far beneath the cliff, then turned away.

"Where are you going?" Wells asked him, getting up as well.

"To see Emme," Bellamy told him, heading towards her home.

"Why?" Wells called out to him.

"I'm done wasting time!" he called back to the teen without stopping, and quickened his pace. If Charlotte's death taught him anything, it was that he can't keep stalling with life anymore. He needed to live before it was too late.

As he passed the edge of the camp, heading in the direction of her home, he overheard people shouting about the sky. He looked up just in time to see a flash of light as something burst through the atmosphere. His stomach flipped at the sight.

"It's from the Ark!" he heard someone yell.

Turning on his heels, he immediately headed back to camp.

"Bellamy, did you see that?" Octavia asked, coming up to him excitedly. Bellamy nodded distractedly and went to find Clarke.

He felt numb. Everything was going so well down here. If they got in contact with the Ark, they would immediately want him dead. They would want to get Jaha's killer. Bellamy hoped that they would be so distracted trying to get to the ground, his crime would somehow fall in the cracks, but he knew it would never be as easy as he hoped it would be.

"That probably came from the Ark," Octavia said, following him. "We need to go find it. Maybe they sent more supplies."

When Bellamy and Octavia walked into the dropship, Clarke and Finn walked in behind them, seeming to have been out of camp at the time the pod came down.

"They probably have a radio," Clarke said, putting her backpack on her back. "We need that if we're going to communicate with the Ark."

"No one's going anywhere," Bellamy said firmly, making everyone stop their activities and look at him. "It's too dark, it's not safe."

"You're being ridiculous," Clarke started, coming up to him. "Everyone in a hundred miles saw that come down. We need those supplies before someone else finds them."

A sick feeling entered Bellamy's stomach. Whoever came down in the pod, he would need to get there to steal their radio. He didn't need the rest of the Ark coming down. He couldn't risk leaving his sister alone on Earth without any family. She needed him, and she needed him alive.

"They probably won't even know how to open it, Clarke," he hissed, trying to get them to avoid the pod for as long as possible. "No one goes until morning. It won't help if we go and get ambushed because we can't see."

"Bellamy might be right, Clarke," Finn told her, grabbing her arm. "We can leave at first light."

Clarke huffed and exited the dropship, looking unhappy about the decision.

"Go to bed, Octavia," Bellamy said, exiting the drop ship and heading towards his tent. She followed behind him. "We'll go in the morning."

Octavia seemed to be hesitant at first, but then nodded and headed to her tent. Bellamy went into his and started to pack his supplies. He would be the first one to get to that pod. He wanted that radio - if there even was one.

Putting together a pack, Bellamy snuck out of the camp when everyone else had gone to bed and made his way to the landing site.

"Where do you think you're going?" a voice asked him. Turning around quickly, he held his knife in hand in self-defense. Bellamy met the worried glance of his sister.

"I told you to go to bed, it's almost dawn," he scolded her, turning to continue walking to the pod crash site.

"And you told everyone we would go first light. Why are you going by yourself? Can I come with you?" she asked. Bellamy turned around and shook his head.

"No, I need to go by myself and you can't tell anyone where I went. If they ask, tell them I went to go check on Emme."

"Why do you want to get to that pod first so badly? The radio?"

"I did something, O, something they would kill me for if they came down," he started, his eyes softening. "I need to do this, for us. So I can stay with you, keep being your big brother. Do you trust me?"

Octavia hesitated, perhaps thinking it over, before nodding.

"Just be careful, Bell," she said softly, giving him a hug before disappearing back towards the direction of the camp. He kept going, determined now more than ever.

As he approached the crash site, he was relieved to see no one else was around. If any grounders did see it come down, maybe they didn't know what it was and didn't bother? Or maybe they were waiting to see if anyone would go first? Regardless, Bellamy opened the door of the pod.

Inside was a girl who looked to be in her late teens, but she was passed out from the landing. Feeling a bubble of guilt swell in his stomach, he wondered for a split second if this was a bad idea. He knew he should help her and just say that there was no radio, that it could have fallen off during reentry. But the moment his eyes wandered to the radio that was tied onto the control panel, his mind was made up. What was more important, being there for Octavia or this teen?

Ripping the radio from the pod, he closed the door and headed towards the river where he first met Emme, determined to throw it in so that no one would be able to take him away from his sister.

After a couple minutes, he arrived at the river, and checked to see if anyone was around, but it was all quiet. Glancing down at the radio in his hand, he took another look at the river, then raised his arm, prepared to throw it as far as he could.

"Bellamy?" a voice rang out from the distance.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hey guys! Happy...Friday? Yep this chapter is one day early. Enjoy! Special thanks to my beta, Katiebees. Want the next chapter to come out on** **Wednesday? REVIEW PLEASE ;) xxx**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Bellamy froze as he registered whose voice called his name. Lowering his arm, he turned to meet Emme's worried stare. In that instant, the radio no longer mattered. Running up to her, he grabbed her shoulders.

"What are you doing? You're supposed to be resting! Are you crazy?" he asked, lifting up her shirt to see if she had made her injuries worse. With a frown, she pointed at the radio.

"What are you doing with that?" she asked, ignoring his question. He ignored her question in return.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, not able to look her in the eyes.

Emme grabbed his hips, making him look up at her. "I saw it come down, I wanted to make sure you were in no harm," she told him.

Bellamy smiled a bit, pleased she cared so much.

"What is that?" she asked, once again looking at the radio he still held in his hand.

"It was in the pod," Bellamy said slowly, seeing that there was no use lying to Emme. "I want to destroy it."

She frowned at him. "Why?"

Bellamy hesitated for a moment, thinking about how she would react to his answer. Emme was friends with Wells now. What if she took it the wrong way?

"I did something really bad to get onto that dropship. Someone came and offered me a deal so I had the opportunity to come down and protect my sister."

Emme nodded, her hands still gripping his hips.

"And?" She asked.

"I had to shoot the Chancellor."

Emme's eyes widened.

"Wells' father," she murmured, taking a step back, her face flushed in shock. Bellamy reached out for her, but she shook her head. Bellamy's stomach twisted, making him nauseous. He knew it was risky, telling her, since she was friends with Wells, but a part of him didn't want to keep anything from her any longer.

"Give it to me," she demanded, taking a step forward. Bellamy gave a confused look.

"Just because you made a poor choice to come down here, does not mean you have to continue to make more poor choices."

"I did it for my sister."

Emme shook her head. "Bellamy, you didn't do it because you didn't want your sister to be alone, you did it because you would be scared without her. After everything you have been through with your family, being there for Octavia is all you know."

"You don't understand," Bellamy pleaded. "I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't just let them take my sister from me."

"But you killed someone to do it!" Emme snapped, tearing the radio from his hand.

Bellamy scowled at her accusation. "You can't judge me for that. You've killed people before!"

"Not innocent people, Bellamy!" Emme said, glaring up at him.

"He's not innocent!" he shouted back angrily, before deflating. "He's not innocent. He nearly took everything from me. I wasn't going to allow him to take Octavia."

For a long moment they stared at each other, eyes hard. Emme took another step away from him, clutching the radio tightly.

"Go back to your camp, Bellamy," she said softly, then turned to duck back into the trees.

Bellamy was glued to the spot. Worried filled him. "And what are you going to do with that?" he called after her.

She merely shook her head in response and disappeared into the shadows, a soft "don't follow me" drifting back to him.

Shoulders slumping, Bellamy ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath. He knew he had screwed up once again.

* * *

Glancing down at the contraption in her hand, Emme didn't know what to do. In a few short hours, the rest of the delinquents would venture to the pod to see who and what was inside. They would be looking for the radio, and Emme hoped that they wouldn't blame Bellamy when it turned up missing.

She didn't mean to be so harsh with him, but sometimes he was so foolish. Bellamy did have good intentions, yet he came at them the wrong way and Emme knew that this was because he didn't think them through. He never thought before he acted when it came to his sister, and that will be his downfall.

Deciding to give Bellamy a second chance, she planned to journey to the pod with the intention of leaving the radio there.

Knowing that her injuries would slow her down, she made sure to keep an extra blade tucked in her armor, just in case. Tucking the communication device onto her waistband, Emme started the journey to where the pod landed.

By this time, it was a couple of hours before dawn. The smoke had dispersed from the landing site. The pod was small and metal and had left Emme speechless for a couple seconds, before she shook off the overwhelming feeling of curiosity and went to open it.

Finally managing to pry open the door, she was shocked to find a helmeted young woman inside who was unconscious and had dried blood on her forehead, an injury sustained from the landing no doubt. Emme paused for a moment, realizing that if Bellamy had already been there, he saw the young woman, that she was injured, and still left her here. Her stomach twisted painfully, but pushed away the feelings. Right now her personal feelings towards Bellamy was a distraction, a distraction she did not have time for.

Hesitating, Emme took a deep breath and pulled off the older teen's helmet and unstrapped her. Before pulling her out, she gathered what few supplies were in the pod, and went to take her back home. Her injuries needed to be tended to. The radio went unforgotten for the moment.

"What are you doing?" a voice called out. Emme whirled around only to find Wells standing not far from her, an inquisitive look on his face. Emme inwardly cursed herself for not hearing him. She barely got the teen out of the pod before being caught.

"She's injured," Emme explained, trying to keep the teen upright. Wells rushed to them and took the teen into his arms. Emme smiled at him then motioned him to continue on. The walk to Emme's shelter was silent and she was thankful that Wells was paying more attention to whom he was carrying that questioning her.

However all silence comes to an end.

"She was in the pod, wasn't she?" he asked, laying her down on the couch once they got into Emme's shelter. She nodded, unloading the supplies onto her table. She then snuck the contraption Bellamy was trying to steal into her closet before coming back out with medical supplies to clean the teen's wounds.

"Do you know her?" she asked. Wells studied the teen for a while.

"I think she was from Mecca station, but other than that, no."

Emme nodded, not really knowing what that really meant, but decided that it didn't really matter. Once she finished tending to the teen, she stood up and headed to her bedroom to check to see if her own injuries had been made worse by her trek. Thankfully, they didn't appear to be any worse.

"Why did you go to the pod?" he asked as he walked into the room. She took off her armor and weapons, leaving her in the black pants and shirt Bellamy helped her change into earlier.

Originally, I was coming to see if you were okay. Bellamy was in a sour mood after he came to see you last night," he explained, sitting on the edge of her bed. "But I was curious about the crash site and went to investigate beforehand, and now I'm glad I that did."

Emme then realized that Bellamy had told everyone that he went to see her yesterday, when in reality he wanted to get rid of the contraption she now hid in her closet. Emme averted her eyes from Wells' gaze.

"Yeah," Emme started, not sure what to say, she felt a nervous tug in her stomach, but swallowed. "We got in an argument because I didn't want to sit still."

Lies.

Emme looked up to read his expression. Wells stared at her for a brief moment, then nodded, accepting her explanation. Emme sat down besides him and grabbed his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Thank you for coming to see me, Wells," she told him, giving a small smile. He smiled back, squeezing her hand back tightly. Noticing how his eyes softened when he looked at her now, Emme felt a twinge of guilt in her stomach. Wells' was becoming too attached.

"Where the hell am I?" a voice called out. There she stood, the teen who Emme pulled out of the pod and treated, holding one of her daggers out at them, an angry, yet confused look on her face. The teen looked at Wells and tilted her head, confused.

"You're the Chancellor's son," she started, lowering her weapon slightly. "But who are you?"

"This is Emme, she's a grounder," Wells told her, standing up. Raven's eyes widened for a split second, and nodded. Raven looked at Emme, almost trying to come to an conclusion about her, as if she was expecting Emme to attack her.

"Don't worry, she won't hurt you," Wells said with a laugh. "My name is Wells. Did my father send you?"

"Abby Griffin, actually. She was suppose to come down with me, but Kane was being a royal pain in the ass," she said, seeming to relax a bit, but still eyed Emme cautiously. "I'm Raven, by the way. Is Finn okay?"

Emme narrowed her eyes, wondering why the teen was asking about Finn.

Wells nodded. "You two friends?" he asked, trying to fit the pieces together.

"I'm his girlfriend," she said simply. Emme and Wells exchanged a look before dropping the subject further. "How'd I get here?"

"I found you and brought you here to treat your wounds," Emme explained.

Raven nodded. "Where's my stuff? And the radio?" she asked, seeming to get worked up. Emme frowned first before going to respond.

"Your stuff is on the table in the main room. It's all I could find," Emme said, looking away. Feeling more guilt eat away at her. She would need to talk to Bellamy about this.

"Where's the radio?" Raven demanded, looking worried as she came back into the room. Emme pretended to look confused.

"She doesn't know what that is Raven," Wells started, getting up. "We can go back and check your pod if you want. She probably just grabbed your supplies."

Raven nodded then came walked up to Emme, holding out her hand.

"Thank you for you your help," Raven said. Emme nodded and grabbed her forearm. Raven looked confused.

"This is how my people greet each other, how we show thanks," Emme explained. Raven nodded, grabbing Emme's arm the same way she grabbed hers and they shared a look before going separate ways.

"Wells, go with her," Emme told him. He went to protest but stopped, knowing that she was right. Raven shouldn't be alone going to the pod, and Emme risked enough of her health for one day, and was determined to stay here and rest, for the meantime, her body's soreness turned more tender.

* * *

When first light hit their camp, Bellamy kept true to his word to the others. They packed up supplies and headed out to the pod to see what it brought to Earth. Bellamy had tried to find Octavia, knowing that she would have wanted to come with but couldn't find her anywhere. He had asked one of the other delinquents whom she usually conversed with, and in response they mentioned how she usually sneaks off to play with the butterflies. He would look for her later. Right now his main priority was to keep things balanced throughout their camp and their new way of life.

When they got to the pod crash site, Wells was already there with the teen who was in the pod. They were looking inside of it and all around the crash site, most likely for the radio that he stole.

"Wells?" Clarke called out, marching up to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I went to see Emme, she had taken Raven out of the pod to heal her," he explained, motioning to the teen who finally had a name. Bellamy's mind quickly went to Emme. In that moment, he wanted to sneak away and go see her. He wanted to ask her so many questions. Why did she not give them the radio? Why did she help Raven? Why didn't she turn him in? Where was it now?

Raven walked up to them, wiping her hands on the back of her pants.

"My radio is gone," she said angrily. "I knew I should have strapped it down better."

Clarke turned to look at Bellamy and gave him a questioning look, but turned her attention back to Raven. "Who sent you?" she asked, checking the side of Raven's head, her eyebrows raised at how well it was treated.

"Abby Griffin," Raven responded, seeming proud to utter her name. "She was supposed to come down too, but we got caught. She wanted to come down for-"

"Me," Clarke interrupted, pursing her lips and looking away.

"You're her daughter? You're Clarke?" Raven asked, getting a bit more excited. Clarke gave a small nod and smiled.

"Raven?" another voice called out. Everyone turned around to see Finn jogging into the clearing.

"Finn!" Raven exclaimed, running to him. She embraced him in a tight hug, even as Finn's gaze shot to Clarke. Bellamy turned to Clarke, wondering what was going on.

As Raven pulled Finn closer and kissed him passionately, Bellamy saw the way Clarke's jaw dropped and the look of pain that flashed in her eyes. It was only confirmation to what he had already suspected - Clarke and Finn had been sleeping together. The look of panic in Finn's eyes was only further proof it.

"What are you doing here?" Finn asked after he pulled back from from Raven's embrace, although he kept his arms around her. He stared down at her in shock. It was clear he had though he was never going to see her again.

"I came for you, of course," Raven told him, a sweet smile on her face and she pulled him close for another hug, resting her head against his shoulder.

"We need to find the radio," Clarke interrupted, her tone only showing a slight waver. "Raven, what are the chances of it actually being okay?"

"It should have still been in the pod, but on the way down the turbulence was a lot more than I anticipated, so it could have bounced out," Raven explained. Bellamy was relieved that no one assumed that it was him, only Clarke had given him a look, but quickly dismissed it. They had no proof that he had been there. On top of that, Emme had saved Raven, so everyone automatically assumed that she was the first one to the pod.

"Isn't that unlikely?" Clarked asked. Her tone definitely getting harder, most likely trying to suppress her disappointment that Finn was never hers in the first place.

"Us being on Earth right now and still being alive is unlikely," Raven responded, furrowing her eyebrows, probably wondering why Clarke was being so sharp.

"We should get back to camp, we don't want anyone else to stumble out here and find us," Wells said suddenly.

"He's right, you should all go back," Bellamy spoke firmly. He wanted to go see Emme. He needed to. He was curious to know what she was doing. He was curious to see what she did with the radio and what she thought about him now. He had so many questions, as he always did with her.

"And where are you going?" Clarke asked, instantly earning an eye roll from Bellamy.

"Don't you know better than to ask me that?" Bellamy retorted.

"Bellamy are you sure this in the time to go see her?" Clarke asked him.

"I'm sure I don't need your opinion," Bellamy shot back.

"Guys I don't think we should be arguing. Is there anyone at your camp that can help me build a radio?" Raven stepped in, trying to defuse the tension.

"Monty could, he's from Farm Station," Wells said.

"Good, because we'll need him if we want to get in touch with the Ark in time," Raven told him.

"Why is it so important for us to radio the Ark?" Bellamy asked, just hoping the talk of a radio would go away.

"Because there are planning to kill three hundred people unless they know that Earth is definitely survivable," Raven said, pulling away from Finn. "So we need to figure this out. Now."

Bellamy felt like he had been punched in the gut at Raven's words. Trying not to show his shock, he swallowed harshly and nodded in agreement.

"Then you guys should go back and get started, I suppose," he said, before turning away and heading to Emme's shelter.

When he got there, he climbed her shelter and knocked on her door. There was fumbling coming from the inside and then the door opened quickly, revealing a fresh-faced Emme.

"Bellamy?" she asked, seeming shocked, yet pleased to see him. His eyes traced her figure for she was wearing a black tank top and her black leather pants. When his eyes met hers, and he realized she caught him checking her out, he blushed and smiled, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck.

"Can I come in?" he asked. She nodded and closed the door behind him.

"Why didn't you turn me in?" he asked right away. "Why didn't you give them the radio?"

Emme didn't answer.

"Hey," he said lightly, coming up to her, their bodies only inches apart. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Bell-" she stuttered out his name, looking up into his eyes, completely fixated on him. He leaned in softly, but Emme pulled away.

Grabbing his face in her hands, she looked directly into his eyes.

"I can protect you and your sister, but you need to give the radio to your people."

Bellamy looked away for a moment, but Emme pulled his face back to look at her again.

"You have to go give the radio to your people," she stressed, giving him a hard stare. He looked away again, knowing that she was right. Raven had said that they were going to kill innocent people if they didn't radio in time. He nodded, hesitantly.

"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked. Of course he wanted her to go with him. She made him feel safe. He didn't want to go back to camp, he wanted to stay here with her, and just have everything else melt away, but he knew he couldn't. His people needed him, his sister needed him.

Briefly, he hesitated, then declined her offer with a shake of his head. This was something he needed to do on his own.

"No, it's okay. I need to do this," he stated firmly.

"What if I told them that I helped you track it?" she offered.

"Why are you helping me after the fuss you gave me earlier?" he asked bluntly, confused by her actions. He would have thought that after everything that she would want him to come completely clean, not lie for him. Why would she lie for them? He found himself watching her more carefully now.

"Because I want you to make things right. I want you to start making better choices. If you want to survive down here, you need to start thinking before you act," she said, and then their eyes connected and he felt everything else disappear for a brief moment - their current dilemma, the world - all that was left was the abundance of feelings he felt towards her, feeling like a bursting ball of warmth in the center of his chest was only moments from exploding.

"They expect me to be this fearless leader down here. They are all just kids, every single one of them. I just want to be someone who they can look up to and respect. I just want everything to be okay," He admitted, everything coming to the surface.

"There is no such thing as a fearless leader," Emme said softly, grabbing his hand with her own. "They will respect you because of your courage, even in difficult situations. They don't care if you get scared or if you don't know what to do at first. They only care if they live to see tomorrow."

"Will you help me?" He then asked, squeezing her hand for comfort. Her eyebrows raised.

"With what?"

"To be the person you see me as," He whispered to her. She smiled at him tenderly. "The person you deem as worthy."

"Always," She whispered in return.

The anticipation that lingered between them felt like an itch he couldn't scratch. No longer able to resist the pull he felt towards her, Bellamy pulled her closer and grabbed her by the waist, tugging her towards him until her body was pressed up against his. Although her eyes widened for a moment, she didn't resist his pull, instead leaning into him, the action telling him she wanted this just as much as he did.

The warmth of her body against his sent his senses into overdrive. Almost desperately, his fingers grazed her sides, and up over the soft skin of her neck until her face rested between his hands. Brushing the soft skin of her lips with his thumb, he looked for any hesitation on her part, but she only stared up at him, her eyes darkening as they flickered down to his lips.

Leaning down, he captured her lips with his own.

Eyes sliding closed, he felt Emme's arms snake around his neck and tangle themselves through his hair. His knees buckled a bit as he slipped into a state of ecstasy, each of their kisses growing more desperate and more passionate than the last.

His grip on her never wavered and his mouth never lost trace of her own. He walked her backwards until her back was pressed up against the door. Reaching down, he grasped her thigh, pulling it up around his waist, a movement Emme seemed to comply with as she lifted her other leg to join it.

He groaned against her mouth, loving the way she felt pressed against him. As he trailed his tongue along her bottom lip, Emme responded with a moan of her own, allowing him to slip his tongue into her mouth.

As she began tugging at his clothes, Bellamy smirked into her mouth, feeling her impatience. It seemed that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Pressing himself against her, Bellamy thought of giving into his cravings. He wanted her more than he'd wanted anything before. He could have her, here, now, and he would finally know how she would feel writhing beneath him.

As she tugged on his hair, he almost gave in completely, but a small voice inside of his head told him to stop. His relationship with Emme wasn't perfect, but he didn't want it to be like just another fling. He wanted her to be so much more. She deserved so much more. Also a part of him was telling him to get back to camp. The radio needed to be given back. Things needed to be set right. This could wait, and he fully intended to get back to this later.

Reluctantly, Bellamy pulled back, allowing them both to catch their breath, Emme's chest heaving against his own. Eyes fluttering open, he was happy to see how flushed her face was as she regained her breath. He slowly lowered her legs to the ground, and once she was on her feet, he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.

As they regained control of themselves, Emme pulled away from him, a small smile tugging at her lips. Almost subconsciously, he kissed her forehead.

"What was that for?" she asked him, her voice wavering.

"I've been wanting to kiss you for a while," he sheepishly admitted.

Emme let out a small laugh, her smile lingered.

"Shall we get ready then?" he asked her, his eyes twinkling and his heart warm with comfort.

* * *

Bellamy and Emme wandered into his camp a little later in the day. The radio was tucked into the waistband of Bellamy's pants, hidden from sight, but the closer he got to the dropship, the heavier it seemed to weigh. On the way, he threw the radio to the ground a bunch of times, trying to imitated the damage it would have taken if it had taken a long fall from the pod. Even dented and cracked, it still worked.

He pulled Emme's hand into his as he lead her into the drop ship.

Raven and Monty were tinkering away, trying to get another radio built. Clarke was sitting behind them, a heavy look of frustration on her face. When she noticed their arrival, she got up and walked over to them.

"What's going on?" Clarke asked, cautiously looking at the pair. Bellamy turned to Emme, the nervous feeling in his stomach making his feel almost sick. Meeting his gaze steadily, she squeezed his hand softly, giving him the strength to do what he knew was right.

With a deep breath, Bellamy dropped Emme's hand and reached back, pulling the radio out of his waistband and holding it out to Clarke.

"I found this," Bellamy said cooly. Clarke's eyes widened and snatched the radio from his hands, immediately bringing it to Raven and Monty.

"Raven set off flares, just in case we didn't get a working radio in time, but we don't know if the Ark saw them," Clarke told them.

"Banged up, but still works. Thank god," Raven mumbled. Monty nodded in agreement. "Now all we have to do is get in contact with the-

"Guys look!" a voice called from outside the dropship. The five quickly raced outside and followed the gazes of the other delinquents to stare up into the darkening sky. Many small streams of light streaked through the night sky above them.

"Are those shooting stars?" one of the delinquents asked.

Clarke gasped at the sight of them and Raven had a solemn look on her face.

"Those aren't shooting stars. It's a funeral."

"Why are they doing this?" Bellamy asked.

"The Ark is dying. They sent us down here to see if Earth was survivable as one last chance to save everyone. To keep everyone alive, they had to start the population decrease," Raven explained.

Bellamy saw Emme frown in confusion. He pulled her to his side and whispered into his ear.

"We need to leave," he told her. She nodded subconsciously and followed him. All those people died because of him, because he was being selfish. But then again, how could he have known that the Ark was dying?

Bellamy's mind then wandered to Octavia.

"Has anyone seen my sister?" he asked. Everyone in the drop ship shook their heads. Slightly worried, Bellamy left and checked her tent before wandering around the camp, his mind drifted from the thought about leaving with Emme. Right now, nothing else mattered but finding his sister, wherever she may be.

Anyone he asked simply shook their heads. His head started to hurt as he looked all over the camp for her once more, worry swallowing him more and more.

"Bellamy, what's wrong?" Emme asked, pulling him by the arm so he would face her.

"My sister, she's not here. I haven't seen her since yesterday. How could I be so careless?" he said, pushing her away. Emme frowned.

"We will find her," she told him softly.

"No, I will find her," he retorted, starting to gather recruits to go find Octavia. Jasper, who was finally healed and able to function throughout the day properly, volunteered, along with Finn, Wells, Clarke, and some others.

"Bellamy, let me help. I could track her," Emme pleaded lightly. She knew that his sister meant everything to him, but would he really push her away because he's in pain?

Roma snuck up to Bellamy's side, batting her eyelashes at him, shooting a mocking smile towards Emme.

"What about Emme?" Clarke asked, gathering her pack and coming to join them at the entrance.

"She's not going," Bellamy told her firmly, his tone dark. In his mind, Emme was the distraction that made him unaware of his sister's whereabouts. He gave into her and in result of that, his sister was missing.

"But Bellamy, she could help," Wells coaxed lightly, coming to stand beside Emme, who up to this point hadn't said anything but take the unnecessary hate Bellamy was throwing her way.

"I said no," he said angrily. "My sister, my responsibility."

"Why not?" Emme protested. Bellamy ignored her at first. "After everything we've been through, why are you treating me like this?"

"Because this is all your fault. You kidnapped me in the first place and got inside my head. Now my sister is missing because I was off with you. All of this was a mistake. A stupid mistake."

With that he stormed into the forest.

* * *

Wells turned to look at Emme, noticing her blank expression. But then if she just had a revelation, she stormed after them, a nervous looking Wells tagging along.

"Bellamy," she called to him, making him huff in annoyance and turn around. Walking up to him, looking in his eyes. Everyone else stopped to look at the pair.

"What?" he asked, his expression seemed to soften for a brief moment, before looking out into the trees, his expression hardening just as quickly as his mind drifted.

With her heart coming to ache painfully, she raised her hand, baling it into a fist, she gave a swift punch to his mouth, causing Bellamy's head to snap to the right, his hand coming up to wipe the blood that was coming from his busted lip.

"Oh shit," Jasper gasped. Emme ignored his blunt commentary.

"Don't ever touch me again," she spat a Bellamy. "You had me fooled. I thought you really wanted to change, to start acting like the man you wanted to be, but apparently you'll never grow up."

Not bothering to look him in the eyes again, she pivoted on her feet and marched off in the direction of her shelter.

She could hear Clarke ask Bellamy if he was okay, but she could imagine him just pushing her away, grumbling, and wanting to keep going, angry until he found his sister.

But with all of that aside, she could really think about is Bellamy and how he thought he could talk to her like that. There was a lot of things she could handle, but disrespect was not one of them. After what just happened, she felt nauseous.

Emme knew that Bellamy's sister meant everything to him, but she didn't see why he was taking it out on her. After everything she had done for him and the connection they finally built. He ruined it all by going back into his old ways. Emme started to wonder if Bellamy could really change, or if she was just another girl to him.

* * *

Even though he mended her broken knee, he didn't know what to do with her. He had watched her from day one, originally with the intention of learning about her and her people who fell from the sky. But soon his interest had changed. He was fascinated by her - her beauty, the blueness of her eyes, and her thirst for adventure. The sketches in his notebook was proof.

And now, here she was. The girl he admired since she landed in her metal ship lay asleep in his secret haven. Her presence in the cavern was not a coincidence. Her had seen her talking to one of her people, then wander home on her own, not paying attention to where she was going. One stumble was enough to send her tumbling down the hill.

She was lucky to be alive. He was lucky to have found her.

He didn't know what to do with her now. He couldn't keep her locked down here forever, but she needed somewhere safe. Knowing that he couldn't just bring her to his people just like that - on account of he was responsible for the death of one of their people.

Picking her up into his arms, he admired her features before exiting the cave and making the trek to the one place he knew she would be safe.

After walking a couple of miles, he came up to a wall that was covered in moss, pushing it aside he walked into the dark tunnel, and finally pushed away a second layer of moss before he looked up to see the shelter he helped build.

There she was, sitting at the top of it, right next to her door, her legs dangling over the side lazily. When her gaze met his, she gasped and immediately climbed down the shelter to meet him halfway in the valley.

"I need your help."

"What did you do?" Emme asked, a confused yet worried look stretched across her features as she looked at the girl in his arms, the girl that came from the sky.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hello everyone! Here it is, early as** **promised! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and my wonderful beta, Katiebees! Remember to show some love and REVIEW!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

 _The mask he was wearing covered his mouth, stretching across his face just enough to cover any facial expression. The only thing visible was his warrior paint covered skin and his deep brown eyes. Twisting his head to the side, he watched her wander through the forest so carelessly, seeming completely content with chasing a radioactive butterfly._

 _Although not physically visible, a small smile crossed his features._

 _The young woman then let the butterfly fly beyond her reach and turned back, mostly likely to head towards her camp. He went to turn away, to climb down the tree and go back to his own village to tell his people, and eventually the commander, of his observations of the sky people, but heard a great deal of fumbling and a gasp before a loud thud echoed through the trees._

 _Instincts kicking in, he jumped down from the tree and looked down the cavern below him. There she was, laying down there, almost lifelessly, her head bleeding from the impact._

 _Scoping out how he wanted to approach the situation, he ended up sliding down the hill sitting down, using his feet to prevent him from tumbling, until he stumbled down to the ground below._

 _Checking at the moment for any serious injuries, he noted that besides the cut on her head, the only concerning injury was her knee. He acted there, not wanting to waste any time and healed it._

 _He picked her up, her head coming to rest on his chest._ _Brushing the hair out of her face with one hand, he tightened his grip on her with the other, determined to finish treating her other injuries once he got her to safety. He then navigated North, hoping for the best, and hoping he could help save the young woman._

* * *

Opening the door to her home, Emme stepped aside, letting Lincoln pass, straining her eyes to see if she recognized the unconscious woman in his arms, as her hair had fallen in front of her face. Immediately, he went for the extra bedroom Emme had and placed the young woman on the bed, before checking her injuries.

"She had a deeply cut knee, but I cauterized that. She also has a cut on her head, do you have anything here for that?" Lincoln asked, observing the woman. Emme didn't answer or nod, she just went and gathered the necessary supplies he needed. Although her curiosity at this point had definitely been peaked, she knew her questions could wait. Lincoln needed her.

Giving the supplies to him, he nodded at her gratefully, then brushed the hair out of the young woman's face. Immediately Emme's stomach dropped.

It was Bellamy's sister.

"Octavia," Emme breathed out, shocked at seeing the missing girl. She sat next to them, her eyes never leaving Octavia's face. Her mind then drifted to Bellamy, how he was still out there looking for his sister, most likely in dangerous territory, and completely unaware that his sister was now safe.

"You know who she is?" Lincoln asked, dabbing poultice onto the wound on the side of Octavia's head.

"She's from their camp, the sky people," Emme responded. "She's Bellamy's little sister. What happened?"

"She fell down the steep cavern by the river," Lincoln said, finishing up what he was doing and standing up, finally removing the mask from his face. Emme noted the look of concern he held as he regarded the younger girl. Something told he that she wasn't the only one who had an eye for a sky person. "Can you watch over her?"

Emme nodded absentmindedly, knowing that when Octavia woke, she would have to help her home, and there she would have to face Bellamy again. Hopefully he didn't think she did this for him, maybe as a way to say that she was sorry, because she definitely was not. He should know that she did this for Octavia's safety and that alone.

"I can't stay long," he said, then turn and left the room abruptly. Emme jogged to catch up with him.

"Why not? Why were you so far from the villages?" Emme asked, knowing from his tone that something had happened.

"I'm just doing as I was told," Lincoln responded, grabbing the door and pulling it open. Emme noticed how short he was being with her. He knew that she had friends in the sky people's camp and how much she cared about certain ones.

"What changed?" Emme asked, stepping in front of him. Lincoln's eyes softened at her, but he quickly averted his gaze.

"They burnt a village to the ground. The Commander is furious," Lincoln said, gently pushed passed her, stepping out of the shelter.

Emme blinked at him, shocked, mind racing to thinking of how or why they would have done that. "When did they do that?"

"Last night, after that thing fell from the sky," he told her.

Her mind wandered back to the flares she knew Bellamy and his people had fired into the sky, trying to get in touch with their people. Perhaps Lincoln was right, but she knew it wasn't a sign of war.

"Lincoln, you and I both know that those kids are not capable enough to fight a war," Emme stressed. She was worried about the delinquents, how they were basically children that got sent down on a whim, and if the commander did see the flares as a sign of war, it would be a war that they had very slim chances of winning.

"They burned down a Trikru village, Em," he said, turning to face her, holding her shoulders firmly. "That's one of our villages."

"You mean one of yours," she muttered, looking away.

"You will always be Trikru to me," he told her, reaching up and stroking her bare face. He gave her a soft kiss to the forehead, put his mask back on his face, and escaped down the tree.

"Why did you save her then? If you knew what her people did?" Emme yelled out to him. Lincoln turned around, seeming to study her for a moment, perhaps contemplating what to say.

"The same reason you saved her brother twice," Lincoln called up before turning back around and heading towards the moss. Emme watched him until he disappeared behind it and sighed heavily, knowing that she wasn't through with the sky people just yet.

* * *

Emme knew that waiting for Octavia to wake up was just an easy way to avoid going back to their camp. That seeing Bellamy again would just bring back the pain and anger she was trying to push away. She knew she could go to their camp and grab someone other than Bellamy to help her with Octavia, but there was always the chance of running into him. She didn't want to see him give her that look of disgust again. She didn't want to feel the tug of pain she knew it would cause.

A faint groan pulled Emme from her thoughts, and part of her was grateful for the distraction, while another part of her was grateful that Octavia was alive. It was one thing to be mad at Bellamy for being overprotective and impulsive, but she wouldn't place the blame on Octavia for it. She knew that if something happened to his sister, he would be devastated and she knew that she shouldn't blame him for what he said or did.

Emme sighed and grabbed a cup of water from the main room before venturing to the extra bedroom. Just like hers, it had no windows, just lamp that illuminated the small, square shaped room.

Octavia was sitting up, rubbing her head, a wince of pain crossing her features. Her gaze rose when she realized that she wasn't alone. When her eyes met Emme's, Emme could see the overwhelming sense of relief on her face.

"Emme," Octavia said softly, pulling herself into to a sitting position.

Emme walked to her, sitting next to her on the bed. "How are you feeling?" she asked, concerned.

Octavia gave her a small smile even though Emme could see the lingering pain on her face. "I'm alive, right?" Octavia said, taking the offered cup of water. After she drank it all, she set the cup in her lap. "Were you the one to save me?"

Emme shook her head. "No, someone else did, then brought you to me," she informed her, reaching out and taking the empty cup from her.

"Do you know them?" Octavia asked. Emme nodded. "Was it the same person who shot the arrows through the camp when you were in trouble?"

Emme hesitated for a moment, then nodded again, figuring she could trust Octavia. The other girl took a moment and nodded, perhaps letting the new information sink in.

"So, this is your home?" Octavia asked, trying stand up. Immediately the girl regretted it. Emme stood up quickly to catch Octavia as she almost wobbled to the floor in pain.

"You could have told me my knee was messed up," Octavia retorted bitterly, gritting her teeth. Emme chuckled.

"I didn't think you would get up right away and try to get a tour of my home," Emme replied with a smirk. Octavia shrugged with a smile.

"I was trapped underneath the floor for most of my life. Now that I'm on Earth, I'm not going to let any experiences, no matter how small, pass me by," Octavia told her. "Help me?"

Emme nodded and helped the girl up. With Emme's support, they hobbled through her home before coming back to the main room. Emme placed Octavia on the couch before disappearing to her room.

A couple minute later she came back fully prepared to travel.

"Where are you going?" Octavia asked curiously.

"I'm going to get someone so that they can help me get you back to your camp," Emme told her.

"What about the person who saved me? Can't they help?" Octavia asked. Emme took a deep breath, feeling slightly territorial at the questions about Lincoln.

"He couldn't stay for too long," Emme told her, hoping Octavia would drop the subject of Lincoln. The less she knew about him the better. Lincoln was the one thing that Emme had left from her old life, and she wasn't willing to risk him.

"Does Bellamy know he has some competition now?" Octavia asked teasingly, her eyebrows raised.

Emme immediately frowned, getting defensive. "There is no competition between anyone," she retorted sharply. Octavia's bright smile faded a bit, perhaps realizing that her question had hit a nerve.

"Did something happen while I was gone?" Octavia asked, picking up on Emme's attitude.

"Just your brother being your brother," Emme told her, tinkering with her sword to make sure it was securely in place.

"Did he hurt you?"

Emme's mood softened a bit at the concern in Octavia's voice. Looking up, she caught the gaze of Octavia's hazel eyes. Pressing her lips together, she shook her head.

"I'm the one who punched him, so physically no, emotionally? That's another story."

"I'm sorry. I thought you and Bell would work well together," Octavia started, showing a sad smile. "You grounded him and made him turn into the person who he is around me, who he really should be, not this selfish power hungry jerk he pretends to be to get respect around here."

"Surprisingly, he was fine until you went missing," Emme muttered, looking away for a moment.

"Yeah, he puts a lot of pressure on himself when it comes to me. My mom basically made him raise me, putting all the responsibilities on his shoulders," Octavia told her.

Emme sighed, her anger towards Bellamy was slowly depleting, but she forced herself to reply. "I know," she finally mumbled.

"He was seven when I was born," Octavia started. "And then when our mother died years later, he shut out anything that didn't have to do with me. I was his number one priority. Well, that is until he met you. Whatever happened, I'm sure you both will get over it. Life is too short to have fights or to hold grudges. Yeah, you guys might be mad at each other now, but there is a reason why you two met. It wasn't just a coincidence."

"You're smart for someone who didn't get out a lot," Emme admitted with a laugh.

"I had Bell, and now, you do too," Octavia told her.

"I need to go, and before you ask, you're staying here," Emme announced, deciding that now it was the right time to take her leave.

"Yeah, yeah," Octavia mumbled.

* * *

When Emme stepped foot into the sky people's camp, she knew something was off. The delinquents who were outside seemed on edge, nervously looking out into the trees and always having a grip on a weapon. Frowning, Emme made her way to Bellamy's tent, knowing she would find her answers there, despite not wanting to see him.

Pushing open the fabric, she found Bellamy laying on his makeshift bed, his arms propped behind his head. Emme cautiously stepped inside. In that moment, he glanced up at her, at first his expression was surprised, but then that faded as he sat up, letting his arms fall into his lap. He gave Emme a solemn look. Emme went to speak, but noticed the dry blood on his hands.

"What happened?" Emme asked him worried, kneeling down to inspect him. He let her take his hands into her own, and watched her expression change when she came to the realization that the blood was not his.

"What did you do?" Emme demanded lightly, dropping his hands. Instantly his gaze shifted from hers, refusing to meet it again.

"I found the grounder that took my sister," he told her, and Emme jumped up, instantly knowing what happened.

"Where is he?" she demanded, her anger surging.

Bellamy got up and frowned, but didn't respond, simply shaking his head at her.

Emme stared at him in disbelief. In her mind she knew, she knew that Lincoln was here somewhere, and that the blood on Bellamy's hands was in fact his.

For a moment, she wondered if she should tell him about Octavia, about how she was safe, but the unrepentant look that Bellamy had on his face made her decide otherwise. Feeling spiteful, she decided she would give him Octavia only when she knew Lincoln was safe and free.

Giving Bellamy a dark look, she realized there was only one place to successfully imprison someone in their camp. Turning on her heels, she exited his tent, marching towards the dropship.

Storming into the dropship, Emme ignored any voice that was directed to her. She didn't care. She ignored the boy who was on the table being treated by Clarke. She ignored the delinquents that were blocking her way to the next level. She knew they wouldn't try to stop her, not when they knew that she could easily kill them if she needed to.

She pushed her way to the top floor of the dropship where she encountered another delinquent whose name she didn't know.

"You shouldn't be up here!" he exclaimed, trying to get in front of her.

"Get out of my way," Emme retorted. "Before you regret it."

"Let her pass, Miller," a voice called from behind her. Emme turned to find Bellamy had followed her up, watching her warily as if he wasn't quite sure how she would react to the grounder prisoner. The delinquent gave Bellamy a skeptical look before stepping out of her way.

Emme gasped at the sight before her.

There he was, Lincoln, standing in the back of the drop ship, arms tied tightly in place. His head was down, clearly in distress. He was shirtless, bloody, and covered in cuts. Emme felt like throwing up from the shock and grief she going through her system. She didn't know the sky people were capable of this. Turning to look at Bellamy, she shot him deadliest look she could manage. Lincoln's blood was on Bellamy's hands.

Walking up to him, she took his chin in her hands, bringing it up so that him gaze would meet hers. At first he looked like he was going to retaliate, but then his eyes softened when they met hers. She pulled him to her, embracing him into a hug, not caring if she got dirty or blood stained. She breathed a sigh of relief when he buried his head into the crook of her neck as she let tears collect in her eyes. Inwardly she was so scared just at the thought that she could potentially lose Lincoln.

Lincoln was always a sensitive subject for Emme. He was all she had left. Sure, she was use to seeing people die and get tortured, and she knew that Lincoln would recover from this amature performance, but she felt disappointed in the man who did this to Lincoln, the man she thought she was falling for. Emme realized she misjudged him.

A part of her was beyond furious with Bellamy for what he did. All he thought about was Octavia, and she understood that, but still, this was Lincoln, but was this some sort of punishment?

After a couple of moments, Emme pulled away and turned to Bellamy.

"Release him," she demanded, finally letting her anger surface. Bellamy, whose mood seemed to darken, glared at her before shaking his head.

"Not until I find my sister," Bellamy told her, walking up to her. Emme's hand went to her sword, but Bellamy had grabbed her arm.

"You won't hurt me," Bellamy spoke firmly. He must have known Emme was thinking about striking him, because his grip tightened. "Not seriously anyway."

Without giving it a second thought, she twisted her wrist, breaking his grip, then raised her leg and slammed her foot into his stomach. Stumbling back, Bellamy wheezed as he grabbed his middle.

Emme was getting tired of Bellamy's attitude. This wasn't a game. She had tried approaching the situation rationally, but it seemed the only thing Bellamy responded to was physical pain.

Bellamy regained his breath, rose up and glared at her. Emme raised her hand and went to throw a punch at him, he caught her arm inches before she hit his face. Struggling against him, she spun her body around and elbowed him in the stomach. When he hunched forward yet again, Emme kicked his legs out from under him. When he landed in with a loud thud, he stayed there.

"You know," she started. "I came here to tell you that your sister is safe, but now that I think about it. You don't deserve to know that."

Bellamy let out a groan from his position on the ground. "Where is she?" he gasped as he regained his ability to speak. There was a dangerous edge to his words that hadn't been there before.

Emme turned to look at Lincoln, whose eyes wouldn't leave hers, then she turned back to Bellamy, her expression cold as he came back to his feet. He rubbed his body which was most likely sore at this point.

"You need to let him go," Emme told him firmly as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why would I do that?" Bellamy laughed bitterly.

"Because he didn't take your sister, he brought her to me after he helped her. Did you know that she fell down into the caverns and hit her head and hurt her knee? Did you know that he found her and brought her to safety? And yet you torture him like he's the bad guy."

"He didn't tell us that!" Bellamy exclaimed, seeming to digest the new information, his gaze had flickered to Lincoln's several times. Emme could tell Bellamy felt bad for jumping to conclusions, but at this moment, she didn't care.

"He is a warrior. He is trained for this. He would rather die than give in," Emme told him. Secretly she wanted this to be all over. She wanted Lincoln to be able to go home and be safe. But also she knew that Trikru would notice his injuries, and that's the last thing the sky people needed - another reason for Trikru to hate them.

"If I bring you to your sister, will you release him?" she asked him.

"It's not that simple," Bellamy responded, tearing his eyes off of her.

"You're making this more complicated than it needs to be!" Emme retorted harshly.

"He stabbed Finn," Bellamy informed her. "Clarke's down there trying to save his life."

"When would he have gotten the chance to stab Finn?" Emme asked, her curiosity peaking.

"Finn came with us to find Octavia. We tracked the grounder to his cave. We thought we knocked him out, but he was just pretending," Bellamy mumbled bitterly, turning to look at Lincoln. "Turns out he doesn't care."

"He's just doing what he was trained to do," Emme tried.

"It doesn't matter now. Where is my sister?" Bellamy asked.

"He brought her to me. To my home," Emme finally told him.

"He knows where you live?" Bellamy demanded with a frown. Emme rolled her eyes. She could mentally scoff at how jealous Bellamy seemed to get in a time such as now.

"Yes," Emme responded.

"How?" Bellamy asked.

"He helped me build it when I got banished," she informed him, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "I don't have to explain how I know him, specially not to you."

"So he's your grounder boyfriend, huh? Is that why we didn't work?" Bellamy asked bluntly.

"We didn't work because you let your pride get in the way of your feelings," Emme told him, her anger melting away for a moment, being replaced with a light tone of sadness.

"My sister is all I have left of my family," Bellamy told her, his tone getting softer.

"Did you ever consider that maybe your family could grow?" Emme asked him softly, pulling his chin up so that their gazes would lock. His eyes softened into hers for a split moment. "Lincoln is the last connection I have left of my old life. He will always be special to me."

"Just like Octavia is for me," he said, his eyes glassy again.

"Exactly," Emme commented.

"Okay. Let's go get Octavia," Bellamy announced.

"Alright," Emme nodded. "But only if you release Lincoln."

"We can discuss that once my sister is back here and she is safe," Bellamy told her, leaving the dropship. Emme followed close behind him, following him to his tent.

Emme opened her mouth to respond, when Bellamy spoke again.

"That's my final word," Bellamy snapped, grabbing his pack and putting it on his back.

"You act like you're in charge," Emme said.

"I am in charge. You won't hurt me," Bellamy said, exiting the tent. Emme followed him out and stormed in front of him.

"The more times you say that, the more I actually want to hurt you," Emme said, glaring at him. He was pushing his luck with her, but was so sure that she would never seriously hurt him.

"You know what I mean," he responded lightly.

"If you push me away hard enough, we'll be strangers once again," she said, her tone bitter.

"But that's before you fell for me," he told her.

"What's laughable is that you think you're so great and mighty," she said after she rolled her eyes.

"The other girls seem to think so," he retorted.

"Ah, right. So I'm just one of them those girls to you," Emme sneered.

"That's not what I meant, I-" Bellamy stuttered.

"Fine. Let's go get your sister, then I'm coming back for Lincoln, and you and all those girls can have fun," Emme told him, starting her way towards her home.

"Em-" Bellamy tried, walking quickly in hopes to catch up to her. Emme turned around and looked him dead in the eyes.

"Just shut up and start walking before I hit you again, because quite frankly I'm done listening to your voice," Emme retorted sharply before pivoting on her feet and marching off into the forest, secretly wishing that either things were back to how they were or they could fast forward through their current chaos.

* * *

"You know, you didn't seem that upset that I was the one torturing your boyfriend," Bellamy spoke up. They were about five minutes into their trek and Bellamy finally broke the tense silence.

"First of all, he's not my boyfriend, so stop with that," Emme told him. "Second of all, I am upset."

"Shouldn't you care that anything happened to him?"

"Of course I care if anything happens to him. Why do you ask such idiotic questions? You don't know what it's like growing up how we did. That was nothing. Of course it upset me, but letting my emotions completely take over at that moment wouldn't help him get freed any faster. You're lucky all you got were a few bruises," Emme ranted angrily. "You don't know anything about Lincoln and I's relationship."

"I don't know much about your life before I met you because you never told me," Bellamy said, as he caught up to walk beside her.

"And I probably never will," Emme retorted bitterly.

"Why not?" Bellamy questioned, raising his eyebrows.

"Why would I now?" Emme asked.

Bellamy hesitated. "You're acting like after this I won't see you again," he said.

"Why would I want to see you again? I feel like it'll be best if I go back to doing my own thing and you do the same with your people," Emme told him honestly, and it was true. Emme was better off staying out of everyone's way. It was better for both parties, and this way, she wouldn't have to deal with her feelings for Bellamy anymore, and in time, they would cease to exist.

"So you want to go back to being lonely? Did I really screw up that bad?" Bellamy whispered softly coming to a stop. Emme came to a stop. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before turning around to face him.

"I finally found someone who accepted me for me, despite my nature," Emme started, finally breaking down into the deeper emotions she was feeling. Tears were brimming the edges of her eyes. "You were different, you treated me like a person, not a warrior or a killer. And the one time you needed me the most, instead of admitting to your weakness, you took the cowardly way out and pushed me away."

"I didn't mean to," Bellamy told her, averting his eyes for a brief moment.

"But you did," Emme told him. Bellamy's eyes met hers again. "You can't just take it back because you didn't mean it now, but you meant it at the time, and until you fully accept who you are as the person you want to be. I don't want to be with a boy who can't make up his mind. I want to be with the man I saw you becoming."

"Emme-" Bellamy started.

"We're here, let's go get your sister," Emme interrupted, checking her surroundings before pulling open the moss and disappearing into the dark tunnel. She felt Bellamy behind her and for a moment she wished her would reach out for her. That he would pull her into his arm again. She wanted it to be how it was before, when they just started to admit their feelings, but a lot has happened between them, and even if they got past their differences, it would take awhile to build back up that trust, especially for her.

* * *

Emme opened the door to her shelter and wandered in, still in emotional distress, but put on a brave face. Octavia was where Emme left her, but now she was laying down on the couch, seeming to almost be drifting off to sleep. Emme cleared her throat and Octavia jumped up, rubbing her eyes, giving a big smile when she saw Emme and Bellamy.

"Hello, big brother," Octavia greeted. She stumbled up to stand and Bellamy rushed to her side to keep her balanced.

"Are you okay Are you hurt?" Bellamy asked her quickly, frowning. Emme couldn't help but give a watery smile at how much he cared about Octavia. When his gaze connected with hers, her smile disappeared and she quickly averted her eyes. She dismissed herself into her bedroom, deciding to give herself a mental break from seeing Bellamy, unfortunately she could hear them through the door.

"Eh, could be worse, right?" Octavia said sarcastically, but Emme could tell she was wearing a grin by her tone.

Emme dismissed their conversation for a bit, but caught the end of their conversation.

"Let's get you home, huh?" She heard Bellamy say after a couple minutes and at that moment she let a few tears slide down her face, realizing that it might be the last time her and Bellamy would be together.

Emme shot up quickly after hearing approaching movement, not wanting either of them to see her being weak. She cleaned off her face with a wet cloth. For a moment, she didn't want to be what Bellamy considered to be a grounder, she wanted to be just Emme.

Bellamy's voice got closer to her door.

"Emme?" he asked through the door. He knocked and then opened the door. Peeking his head in, he frowned when he noticed her red face. He must have chosen to ignore it for the moment. "You ready?"

* * *

Returning to camp with the Blakes didn't go as smoothly as Emme wished. Her plan was to go to the sky people's camp, extract Lincoln, and then be home shortly to sleep off another emotional day.

After the dust from the day's events settled, Emme turned to leave the camp. Lincoln had left a few moments prior, but Emme did notice him talking to Octavia and she couldn't help but smile. At the same time, she thought about her connection with Bellamy, and it make her heart ache. At least Lincoln would be happy with Octavia, at least for the time being.

Emme was about to leave camp when a voice called to her from behind.

"You don't have to leave," the voice said. Emme turned around to meet Bellamy's gaze. She did notice he was trying to be better concerning his actions, but Emme wasn't going to be made a fool of again. She wasn't going to give in until she knew that he wasn't going to push her away again. She didn't think her heart could take it.

Emme knew that they only have known each other for a short period of time, but she couldn't control how Bellamy made her feel - those warm waves that crashed through her system. How it felt when they finally had their first kiss, how she just wanted to be engulfed in him forever, her soul lingering with his. It seemed so foolish to feel these things so quickly, but he made her feel things that she never felt before, regardless of how long she has been in solitude.

"Bellamy, right now both of us just need space, okay?" she said softly, trying to not start another argument.

"Please?" he asked, his brown eyes seemed to be red. Did he really feel guilty? Or is it because he was not getting what he wanted?

"Lincoln is gone now, he's safe," Emme started. "He helped Clarke heal Finn. Everything is okay with the world for the moment. Why are you trying to push?"

"Because you're stubborn," he responded, coming up to her. Emme looked away.

"But you're also just as stubborn," she told him.

"That's why we work so well. You challenge me," Bellamy said, pulling her chin up so their eyes connected.

She frowned, pulling her face away. "And in return you push me away," she said.

"I'm not perfect okay? I never said I was. I never promised to be the guy you wanted," Bellamy said with a groan, releasing her from his grasp.

"I didn't care if you weren't perfect. I just wanted you..." she trailed off.

When Bellamy leaned in, perhaps to merely kiss her cheek, she stepped away from him with a shake of her head.

"But I think it's best if we have some time apart," she told him. "Goodbye, Bellamy."

Emme walked out of camp and began heading towards her shelter when a voice made her jump.

"Trouble in paradise?" the voice asked. Emme looked over to see a person sitting outside the gate of his camp, twirling a small knife in his hand. Emme furrowed her eyebrows.

"Wells?" Emme asked

"Hey Em," Wells greeted, putting the knife in his pocket. He pushed himself up from the log he was sitting on and walked to her, engulfing her in a tight hug. Emme wrapped her arms around him, letting her head rest on his chest, before pulling away.

"So you and Blake, huh?"

"You know?" Emme asked, frowning at the chance that Wells would dislike her just because of her potential relationship with Bellamy.

"Yeah. We don't have too much news around here. Why didn't you tell me? I feel kind of foolish now," Wells admitted. He averted his eyes.

"Why's that?" Emme asked.

"Because I like a girl that had her heart stolen by another boy," Wells confessed. Emme smiled at him sweetly. Part of her instantly thought about Bellamy, but the other part of her questioned whether or not she was taking the chance on the wrong sky person.

"There's nothing to tell anymore Wells, so don't worry too much," Emme told him honestly, letting go of him.

"You deserve better than him, you know," Wells told her. Emme blushed and gave a shaky laugh.

"I feel like at this point, the only thing I deserve is to be alone forever," Emme then said darkly. Wells grabbed her face in his hands and made her look up at him.

"You're never alone, Em. You have me," he stated firmly. Emme's eyes softened at him. But in the moment, Emme thought it was best to leave, and maybe never deal with a sky person again. Another thought crossed her mind - she didn't want to lose her friendship with Wells.

"I should get home," Emme said, wanting to just be alone. "It's getting chilly."

Poor excuse.

"Here, take my jacket," Wells offered, slipping off his dark blue jacket. Emme shook her head, touched by his gesture.

"Oh no, it's fine. I can manage," she tried. It was only a three mile trek home. She wouldn't freeze by the time she got there, but she eyed the jacket, noting that it would definitely be warm.

"No really. Please," he said as he forcibly, but nicely, started to slip the sleeves up her arm. Emme smiled at him as she was engulfed in the one size too large jacket. She felt her stomach become warm. Inwardly Emme groaned, thinking about how the sky people would be the end to her.

"Thank you, Wells," Emme said, her smile still on her lips.

* * *

Zipping up the jacket Wells gave her. Emme was nearly home when she spotted a figure leaning against a tree. The figure looked distressed, hunched over and dirty, but did not seem to be a threat. Cautiously walking up to it, Emme's eyes widened when she saw who it was, and that he was still alive.

"Murphy?" Emme asked in disbelief.

"Oh great, it's you," Murphy mumbled, looking up at her. He seemed okay in general, but looked tired.

"I heard you got banished," Emme said, walking up to him.

"Guess it's the only thing we have in common," Murphy started getting up. Emme noticed a small makeshift knife in his hand. "If you want to kill me, get it over with already."

"Surprisingly I'm not going to kill you, nor do I want to," Emme told him.

"And I suppose to thank you for your kindness?" Murphy replied sarcastically.

"Does anything come out of your mouth that isn't sarcastic?" Emme retorted.

"Sometimes," Murphy said, a small sly smile formed.

"What happened to you? What made you this angry?" Emme asked.

"Just channeling my inner grounder," Murphy responded.

"At least we don't try to kill people that were no threat to us," Emme shot back.

"At least we didn't turn to savages," Murphy retorted sharply. "Was I just to assume that the only bad grounder out there tried to kill one of my people?"

"That would be a big assumption," Emme replied.

"I'm not crazy, you know. Impulsive, maybe," Murphy admitted.

"You better hope Bellamy doesn't find you. Charlotte meant a great deal to him," Emme warned.

"How was I supposed to know that she would fling herself off a cliff?" Murphy asked her. His voice turned soft for a split second. Emme blinked at him, shocked to see a bit of remorse coming from the boy who tried to hang her.

"She was a child, Murphy, she didn't know how else to live with the blame you were putting on her shoulders," Emme told him, trying to keep her tone even. Murphy opened his mouth to respond, but a crunching of branches made Emme jump. She quickly turned around, her sword in her hand.

"What was that?" Murphy whispered, coming to stand behind her.

"Shut up," Emme told him. From the distance she saw them. Three members of Trikru staring back at them from the underbrush. Looking down, Emme realized that she was easily mistaken for a sky person. Cursing, she stratigized a plan. She could injure Murphy and run, or they could both make a run for it.

"What is it?" Murphy asked again. Emme realized that he didn't see them yet, his eyes not trained to spot enemies in the trees.

"Run!" Emme told him. Murphy gripped his knife tighter in this hand, looking out into the distance, trying desperately to see what she had seen.

"What-" he spoke, but got cut off when a whistling came through the air.

Emme staggered back, a stabbing pain punching through her shoulder. She fell to her knees with a gasp, reaching up with one hand to grasp the shaft of the arrow now embedded deeply into the flesh of her shoulder.

Trembling, she shot Murphy a pained and worried look.

"Go," she gasped. "Go, now!" She could feel the blood sliding down from the wound beneath her clothes.

Murphy stared at her with wide eyes. When he opened to say something she cut him off.

"Murphy, go!" she screamed at him, shoving her sword into his hands, hoping that it would provide him some protection when the warriors got close enough.

Blinking down at the weapon in his hands, he swallowed. Then with one more frightened look, he turned and bolted into the forest. He didn't look back.

Before she could think to react, a warrior leapt in her direction and slammed his wooden staff against the side of her head.

Sharp pain shot through her, before fading to numbness as she crumpled to the ground.

Before she could fully sink into unconsciousness, she blinked at the familiar Trikru mask above her.

 _Lincoln?_ was her last thought before darkness consumed her.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hello everyone! Happy Sunday! For future references if I'm ever late for posting a chapter, please refer to my profile because I will post an update on there regarding the chapter status! Other than that, thanks so much to everyone that reviewed the last chapter! Also special thanks, as always, to my wonderful beta, Katiebees. Remember to REVIEW :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Even though Bellamy knew he should be grateful that Octavia was back safe and sound, he couldn't get rid of the sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. His mind kept drifting back to Emme and her final goodbye to him, and how much it had hurt. He hated himself for ruining what they'd had before it had even truly begun. The memory of what it had felt to kiss her and how he'd ached for her - it was something he'd never experienced before. And now he might never experience it again.

When she had left camp, Bellamy had made a split-second decision to go after her, to attempt to salvage what he had destroyed. He had followed her to the entrance of the camp, only to see her conversation with Wells. Lurking behind the wall, peering out to watch them, he was curious and slightly jealous of the fact that Wells and Emme were still on talking terms. He'd scoffed at the fact that he had to spy on her, but couldn't help lingering when he knew of Wells growing feelings for Emme. The thought of her being with someone else only made the nauseating feeling in his stomach deepen.

As Bellamy watched their close embrace after their conversation, he wondered if Emme felt something other than friendship towards Wells. Although he had to admit, Wells was not the worst person to win her heart, he'd just thought that once he had her, she would be his forever.

The final straw that made Bellamy turn back into camp was seeing Wells offered Emme his jacket and how she took it from him with a soft smile. The way Wells' jacket engulfed her small frame and how she smiled at him, made him realize she had never smiled at him that way.

Normally he wouldn't give up this easily, but there wasn't anything else he could do to salvage it. Emme had been so patient with him and if he had just calmed down, she could have been wearing his jacket right now, and would most likely be in his embrace.

The whole day seemed like one bad nightmare, and for the first time since being on the ground, he wished that somehow he was back on the Ark, but it was too late now. Maybe if he had stayed, then none of this would have happened. But then again, did he really mean that?

Bellamy entered his tent and was surprised to find a blonde waiting for him on his makeshift bed. At first, annoyance flared inside him, but he forcefully pushed it away. He knew he could use the distraction to distance himself for any thoughts of Emme.

"I'm sorry about Roma," she told him, standing up and swaying towards him.

Bellamy averted his gaze as his mind drifted back to the events that had occured before they'd found Lincoln, how Roma and another boy had been killed, and how there had been nothing he could have done to stop it. It had happened so quickly, and he had been so focused on finding Octavia that it had clouded his judgement. He knew he should have never let inexperienced delinquents leave camp, but at the time the thought of anyone else getting hurting hadn't crossed his mind.

"What's your name?" Bellamy forced himself to ask, shoving the memories away and taking a stray strand of her hair and tucking it behind her ear. He needed this, he needed to forget about everything else.

"Bree," she purred up at him, her hands already trailing under his shirt, fingers caressing his chest.

"And what do you want?" Bellamy mumbled, his desire increasing by the second. The thought of escaping the day was more seductive than her actions.

"It seems like your little grounder isn't giving you everything a man like you needs," Bree teased, pulling his belt out from the loops of his pants. Bellamy swallowed uneasily, his mind shortly flashing to Emme, but he pushed it away, letting Bree push him down onto the makeshift bed and straddle him. He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her down to him, crashing his lips against hers aggressively, hands fumbling with her pants. He needed this, he told himself.

But Emme wouldn't leave his thoughts. He couldn't help wonder what it would feel like to be with Emme right now instead of Bree. How her skin would feel against his own, the curve of her body pressed against his. How it would feel to be one with her. What she would sound like when she cried out his name.

"Bellamy," Emme spoke. But it wasn't her voice, and just like that, the spell was broken, and he opened his eyes to stare up at Bree's unfamiliar face.

It wasn't her. It wasn't Emme. Pulling away from Bree, he pushed her off of him lightly and sat up, pressing his face into his hands.

"Get out," he mumbled.

Though she scowled, Bree slid off of him and left the tent with a huff.

Bellamy pressed the heel of his palm to his eyes, once again feeling completely alone.

* * *

In Bellamy's eyes, the following week was just as horrible as the previous one. He didn't want to do anything. Everywhere he turned, he was constantly reminded of Emme and how she was no longer at his side. This was her home, her Earth, and he knew it would take a long time before it felt like his.

He wanted things to go back to normal, to how they had been on the first day on the ground, back when his heart wasn't torn to pieces, back before he'd met her.

The worst part about it was seeing Wells sneak out of camp. Bellamy knew where he was going: the other boy had been venturing out to see Emme the entire week. It wouldn't have bothered him so much if Wells hadn't been gone for such long periods of time. The thought of what Wells and Emme might be doing during that time made him want to vomit.

Despite the emotional storm going on inside him, the camp was doing relatively well. Raven's arrival had helped improve their living conditions, her clever mind coming up with clever solutions for their problems. Though her arrival had also made some things more complicated: the tension between Finn and Clarke was so thick that not even a Grounder could cut through it.

Heading out of the dropship, Bellamy walked down the ramp and stopped to watch a group of delinquents who were sitting around the fire, laughing and chatting loudly amongst themselves.

"Once Raven helps, Monty is going to make some of his special moonshine. Should be ready by Unity Day," Jasper was bragging to the group.

Bellamy couldn't help roll his eyes, tired of being around children. Deciding he wanted to be alone, he grabbed his pack and weapon and set out, hoping that some hunting might help ease his mind.

But before he had a chance to step into the forest, a voice called out to him.

"Hey, where are you going?" Wells asked, catching up to him.

Pausing, Bellamy couldn't help the sigh that escaped him, before turning and scowling at the other boy. He just wanted to be alone. He wanted to be by himself and not be reminded of what he'd lost.

"Just going for a stroll," Bellamy retorted as he continued to walk forward, much to Wells' protests.

"Did Emme mention anything about going somewhere to you?" Wells called after him, as he fell behind.

The question made Bellamy hesitate and turn around. Wells stared back at him with a worried expression. "What do you mean?" Bellamy frowed, striding back to Wells. This worried him. Emme had said goodbye to him, why would she hide from Wells too?

"I've gone to see her twice and she wasn't there either times. Her place looks...unused, like she hasn't been there in awhile," Wells informed him.

Bellamy swallowed the sudden lump in his throat, eyes drifting away. He knew he was the reason of her disappearance, but couldn't help wonder is something else had happened to her.

"She said goodbye to me the other day," Bellamy finally responded, turning his makeshift axe around in his hand absentmindedly. "Maybe she left?"

"But why? Wasn't she safe here?" Wells asked, his tone heavily laced with worry.

"Probably because of me," Bellamy admitted, his voice grew soft, but shifted his gaze away as guilt started to spread through his system.

Before Wells could say anything in response, another voice called out to him. "Bellamy!"

Looking up, he saw Clarke marching towards them, and had to bite back the groan that threatened to escape him. He knew he wasn't going to get away from camp any time soon, not based on the way she was glaring at him. But it didn't mean he wasn't going to try.

"I was just leaving," Bellamy informed her, turning around and making his way towards the forest.

"You're not going anywhere," Clarke demanded, catching up to him. "If you didn't hear, we got in contact with the Ark, and we know what you did to get on board of the drop ship."

Bellamy froze, feeling dread settle in his stomach like a rock at Clarke's words. If they knew...his eyes cut over to Wells who was watching them, eyebrows furrowed in curiosity.

As Clarke cut in front of him and forced him to stop, Bellamy stopped the grimace that tried to cross his face, bracing himself for what was to come. Of course Wells would be around when the truth came out. "I bet you believe anything they tell you, huh Princess?" he deflected, attempting to turn the topic to safer territory.

But Clarke was having none of it, only catching Bellamy's gaze in a firm hold. "You shot the Chancellor," she said, a sliver of disbelief and betray breaking through her tough exterior.

This time he couldn't withhold his wince, he eyes flickering over to Wells just in time to see a look of disbelief and anguish cross his face. Wells gaze met his own and for a second Bellamy thought the other boy would attack him, but instead he turned around and walked away, his fists balled tightly at his sides.

"Look, someone came and offered me a deal-" he tried to explain, maybe more to himself than to the boy whose father he took from him. But even to him the excuse sounded weak.

"That's why you wanted to take off all our wristbands," Clarke continued as she fit all the pieces together. "Because you didn't want to get caught. I knew something about you wasn't right. You sacrificed all those people because you wanted, to what? To live? To protect your sister?"

"I tried to make it right," Bellamy defended. "I brought the radio."

"Yeah, it was real convenient how you were the one to find the radio, huh?" Clarke pointed out bitterly.

"At least you got it back, and now you have what you wanted, contact with the Ark and now they know about me, so you're finally in charge. Congratulations," Bellamy retorted.

"Do you think I care who is in charge?" Clarke shot back, exasperated. "I care more about us surviving out here, and the Ark coming down is our best bet. Besides, if we had never got in touch with them, you would have more than just the blood of three-hundred souls on your hands, you would have everyone else's on the Ark too."

Bellamy froze, a sickening feeling crept into his stomach. He took a minute to calm his nerves, before he responded.

"What do you mean?" he whispered hoarsely, hoping that she was just messing with him.

Clarke took a deep breath, her expression softening. "Bellamy, the Ark is dying," she started, taking a step forward. "They needed to know that the Earth was survivable. That's why we're here. And now that they know, they are all coming down here, and unless you have another deal up your sleeve, you're going to be arrested for what you attempted to do."

"I-wait, attempted?"

"You didn't kill the chancellor, he's alive and well," Clarke told him. Immediately Bellamy's mind clouded with such relief, but of course every action on the Ark had consequences.

"My sister needs me, I can't get arrested," he whispered worriedly.

"Considering how much time she spends outside of camp now that her leg is healing, I think you are the one who needs her more than she needs you," Clarke retorted. Bellamy looked away, his anger creeping in. His sister was the reason he did all that he did, he wanted to be there whenever she needed him.

"You don't know that," he shot back.

"Bellamy, listen, I know you're not intentionally trying to screw everything up. But you need to learn that all your actions have consequences," she said. She was standing directly in front of him now, inches away. Bellamy glanced at her.

"I didn't think-" he tried.

"That's right, you didn't think, and that's why you lost Emme, the person who was starting to make you act like a decent human being."

"I didn't mean-" he tried again, feeling as if the world was starting to crash down onto his shoulders.

"We still need you, to help lead our people until the Ark comes down. Maybe if they see how well you are doing down here, and how you are helping the rest of us survive, maybe you'll be seen as a positive contribution to the population."

"There would be no reason for them to kill me though. We did that in space because we couldn't afford to risk anything that would threaten our survival. I can just run away."

"And leave your sister?"

"No, but-"

"Let's go back and talk to the chancellor, maybe he'll surprise you."

"Or maybe he'll still have me killed."

"I have known the chancellor my entire life, he wouldn't do that."

"He killed my mother, and your father."

"The law on the Ark is different than the ones that will be on the ground."

"Like anything is that simple."

* * *

Emme didn't know how long she had been there. The hood over her head blocked her sight. She didn't know if it was day or night. It could have been hours since she'd arrived, it could have been days. She just didn't know.

Agonizing pain radiated from the wound on her shoulder, her bound arm tugging painfully on the tender flesh. Shifting, she tried to ease the discomfort, but it only seemed to hurt more instead of providing any relief.

What had happened? Everything was so clouded. She knew from the splitting headache she had that she had been hit on the head. The cut on the wound stinging as it came in contact with the rough material of her hood.

Taking a deep breath, Emme tried to calm herself. _Just try to figure out your current predicament, Em._

Though her eyes were covered, the damp floor and chilly air gave her an idea of where she was: in one of the caves Trikru used to contain their prisoners.

The caves resided below the lush green forest Trikru called home. They were old and ran deep; relics of a time before everything had erupted in flame and been swallowed by death.

Though the information didn't do much to help her. There were dozens of these caves, she could be in any one of them, and there was no way for her to know which.

Tugging at her hands that were bound behind her back, Emme slowly sat up and licked her dry lips. Thing were slowly coming back to her now.

"Is anyone there?" she asked, voice rough. Emme could only assume they thought she was one of the sky people because of the jacket she had been wearing. If that was the case, then her best bet of surviving would be to play dumb and do her best to avoid giving away her Trikru heritage.

That's when she heard it, the sound of someone taking a breath in the room. Realizing there was someone else with her, she turned her head towards the sound.

"Please, let me go. I didn't do anything wrong," she tried.

There was no immediate response, only the rustle of fabric as the person moved.

"Scum," she heard the figure mutter in Trigedasleng, her native tongue. _Definitely not Lincoln._ She knew him more than anyone - all his habits, all his traits, everything.

One question that haunted her was: where was Lincoln? He knew that she was the one they captured, so why wasn't he here right now? There had to be another explanation. Maybe he didn't want to make it too obvious. He was trying to protect her.

The insult irked her, but she forced herself to not react. She needed to pretend she didn't understand.

"Please, I- I don't know what you're saying. Do you- Do you speak English?" she questioned while tugging at the bindings around her wrists.

Suddenly, she heard more people come into the cave and she froze. She needed to tell herself to make this believable. She needed to tell herself that no one from Trikru could recognize her, it's been too long.

Emme thought about Bellamy and his people, and how little chance they had of surviving an attack from Trikru without a warning to prepare themselves, or even a chance to run. Sure, he was agile and strong, but none of them were warriors.

She knew that she had said her final goodbye to Bellamy, but what about Wells? What about Octavia? What about all the kids who would probably need her help? Even though it had only been a short period of time, it had been risky to get involved with him, with all of them. If Trikru now saw them as the enemy, anyone associated with them would immediately be executed. Potentially being killed for her beliefs, for her feelings. Was it all worth it? Emme knew the answer to that question as soon as she asked it to herself.

Someone then cleared their throat. The second he parted his lips, she knew that it was Lincoln. He was here and that meant that everything was still okay - for now.

"Who are you?" he asked. His voice was strong.

He spoke to her in their native language, and it took all her might to not say anything in response. The hood came off from her eyes. After adjusting to the light, she noticed that there was three men in the room. Two lingered near the entrance, sharing a flask between them as they watched her impassively. Lincoln was standing straight in front of her, his face emotionless.

"I don't know what you're saying," she replied in English, forcing herself to allow some of the nervousness that she felt show. Emme didn't know what was worse, being discovered back in Trikru territory after her banishment or being assumed a sky person.

Then came a long pause.

"Was there anyone else with you, besides the boy?" Lincoln asked sternly in English.

"I wasn't with him initially," Emme replied. It was true. Her accidental meeting with Murphy was just a thing of the past now. She should have left him there.

"He is one of your people," Lincoln said.

"He was," Emme responded. "He got banished for trying to kill someone."

"Why not just kill him?"

"That's not how we do things," she replied.

"You do know that you, and the other people from the sky, are in danger. Your act of war was received and we will be prepared to fight."

Maybe she could reason with them. Maybe she could give the sky people a future, or at least some extra time.

"That wasn't an act of war," Emme told him. "It was a sign for our people. The ones who are still in the sky. A sign for them to come down."

"Why would they come down when they are safe up there?"

"Because our home was dying. That is why they sent us down here. We were all prisoners up in the sky. They wanted to see if Earth was survivable again. Those flares we sent up were to show them that we are still alive."

"It was still a crime. That hurt and killed innocent people."

"But it was not intended as a crime. Surely there is something we can work out."

"I was a prisoner at your camp, remember?" Lincoln asked. Emme looked up into his dark brown eyes.

"I remember you, but that was not my doing. We were under bad leadership at the time, but not anymore."

"No matter what you say, your people will still die. The question is what to do with you."

With a loud thud, both of the men behind Lincoln fell to the ground, thought Lincoln had not moved. Her eyes darted back up to him. _The flask._ He had saved her.

Lincoln rushed to Emme and untied her. He hoisted her to her feet, pulling her into his arms.

"We don't have much time," he told her, holding her small frame close to his. Emme wobbled at first, but pushed through the immense pain that was flooded through her.

"Then let's go," Emme said, still holding onto Lincoln, her body weak. The moving around was making her injuries come back into the light. He nodded at her and they exited the cave.

"But wait," Emme said suddenly with a pained face, making them coming to a stop. "You were talking about the boy I was with. Murphy. You didn't ask where he went. Meaning you have him."

Lincoln looked away, averting his gaze. He refused to answer.

"Lincoln, you can't save me and not save him," Emme pleaded, grabbing his arm.

"But he tried to kill you," Lincoln retorted, still looking away, a slight tinge of annoyance hung off his words.

"But he didn't-"

Lincoln turned to her, his eyes darker than usual. "Because I killed two of his people and shot him in the leg."

"Lincoln, we need to save him too," Emme said firmly, then softened her tone. "Besides, you also want the same things as me. I might have fought a bit too hard for it, but it was worth it, wasn't it?" Lincoln's eyes softened for a moment, as his mind drifted back in time, and pivoted on his feet, changing from his initial course.

"I swear you all are going to get me killed."

Lincoln carefully extracted Murphy from a village that was holding him prisoner, pretending to be a guard from the capital.

Emme impatiently waited outside the wall. Lincoln came to meet her, with Emme's sword in his hand, and a beat up Murphy behind him. Handing her the sword, he nodded towards Murphy.

"No one was there, must have left to grab the serum," Lincoln said. Emme nodded, knowing that the serum was an fluid that made people incredibly sick, and that it was incredibly contagious. It was how Trakru evened the playing field when they didn't know what to expect from their rivals.

"It was made for the both of you," Lincoln told her. "Luckily nothing happened on my watch."

Emme just nodded, the pain from her injuries finally taking a toll on her, her head started to cloud, and looked at Murphy, who seemed a bit shocked to be there.

"What Murphy?" Emme asked, annoyed with his silence, fighting to hide her discomfort

"Why the hell do you keep saving me?" he asked, his face bruised.

"You know why," she retorted, trying to push the conversation to its end. Murphy rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Anything to impress him, huh?"

"I think it would impress Bellamy more if I killed you. I'm doing this based on principle. I think the killing needs to stop."

Murphy scoffed again, but averted his eyes.

"You two need to go back to camp. Where you are safe." Lincoln said, then paused and gave Emme a worried look.

"Like I can actually go back there anyway," Murphy muttered. At that moment, Emme felt her vision go hazy as spots of black clouded her vision. She tried to grasp onto Lincoln's arm for support, but her legs gave out and she headed towards the ground as she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Lincoln turned to Murphy as he hoisted the unconscious Emme into his arms and gave him a stern look.

"Looks like you're gonna have to face your fears," Lincoln told him. "We're going to go to the outer wall of your camp and then you are taking her in. And if you don't do so, I will kill you."

"Fantastic," Murphy muttered sarcastically, falling behind Lincoln as they made their way back to the dropship.

* * *

Bellamy had stayed in his tent for a while. He knew he was sulking, but he also knew that in time he would get over it. In time Emme would not cross his mind everywhere he looked. In time Emme would not cross his mind with everything he did. He thought he was foolish. He just met her and already she was everything to him. Bellamy didn't know if he was crazy or if in dramatic times she was just the one he had latched on to.

"Bellamy! Get out here!" a voice called for him. Grabbing his weapon, Bellamy stormed out of his tent, irritated that he was interrupted, but grateful for the distraction. Everyone was rushing to the front gate. And there he saw it. Into the camp walked a beat up Murphy with an unconscious Emme in his arms. Wells was the first one there, a worried look on his face. He look Emme into his arms and yelled for Clarke. Bellamy felt his heart drop into his stomach.

Bellamy pushed through the crowd and gently pulled Emme out from Wells' grasp. He gave Wells a grave look before telling Clarke to follow him into his tent. Bellamy knew that Murphy was there, and that outraged him, but he had brought Emme back to him, and because of that he would live another day. He coddled her in his arms, tears collecting in his eyes. He told himself that he would not break.

Bellamy just focused on the unconscious girl next to him. She was now lying on his makeshift bed, covered in bruises, but completely peaceful. The tears that collected in his eyes the moment her saw her finally fell down his face. He felt a hand grab his shoulder. Looking up, he saw an encouraging Clarke, and then he knew. Everything was going to be okay, for the moment anyway.

* * *

 **Author's Note: WE'RE BACK, BITCHES! I just wanted to start off this chapter sincerely apologizing for my hiatus, a lot of stuff happened in my personal life, BUT I'm done making excuses and I'm going to make things better than ever. Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Eyes fluttering open, Emme groaned as all the pain from her injuries overcame her at once. She felt the nagging pain as if she slept in a weird position, that mixed together with her fresh injuries. Looking around at her surroundings, her eyes softened as they fell upon the man sleeping next to her.

The man who looked so peaceful in his deep slumber. Emme sat up slowly, gritting her teeth against the pain wavering through her system, and turned to face him. Tilting her head to the side, a smile crossed her features. _Of course he was here_ she thought. A part of her wanted to be mad, but there was no use anymore, when it came to Bellamy Blake, Emme lost every battle, and for once she didn't mind. She often had that struggle. The struggle against giving into what she wanted versus how she was raised. To give into what she wanted was always a sign of weakness, but she wasn't so sure anymore. Ever since she met Bellamy, regardless the shortness of length, she began to wonder more and more if her people were in the wrong.

These people, the sky people, despite being clueless on how to survive, were brave and intriguing. If her father was still alive and knew of her involvement, he would make her kill every single one of the delinquents. That was his way towards outsiders, it was what he told her and what he told her younger brother. But he wasn't here to tell her that, he was dead, and she was banished.

Reaching out slowly, Emme caressed the right side of his face. In an instant, Bellamy's eyes snapped open, almost as if he was expecting someone else, pushed her away, and shot up, his eyes immediately darted around, until they rested upon hers. Emme watched the wave of relief spread across his features as he realized that there was no threat and that she was okay, despite the pain he caused to course quickly through her system.

Bellamy smiled at her and pulled her up into his arms carely, embracing her in a loose hug. Despite the pain, Emme rested her head on his shoulder, her arms gripping around his torso lightly.

"You scared me," he mumbled into the crook of her neck. Emme laughed lightly.

"Sorry," she whispered back to him. Bellamy pulled away and out of their embrace and grabbed her tenderly by the back of her neck and pulled her face towards his, until there was only an inch of space between them. Emme's heartbeat rose dramatically as her eyes darted from his gaze to his parted lips. Emme took this time to admire him. His dark curly brown hair, his newly sunkissed skin that was grazed with freckles, the tender hook of his nose, and his full pink lips.

Just as she was about to feel the warmth of them, just when both of them had inched towards each other as if magnetically drawn by energy, the tent burst open in a smooth motion and in popped Clarke, the blinding morning sun behind her. Emme pulled away from Bellamy's embrace and turned towards the teen, slightly irritated. Clarke didn't seem too happy to be interrupting them, but seemed to push all else away.

"I see you two are up," she looking unimpressed, before turning to look directly at Emme. "How are you feeling?"

Emme forced a smile towards the blonde. "I'll live," she responded bluntly, before adding, "Thanks."

Clarke nodded at her response and turned towards Bellamy, demanding that Bellamy come with her, that they had some things to discuss about the Ark. When he got up to talk to Clarke outside of the tent, Emme had drifted off into slumber yet again.

When she awoke a little bit later, it was clear that Bellamy was gone and that he didn't wake her to say goodbye, but she wished that he did. Emme laid there, in Bellamy's semi-comfortable makeshift bed, and thought about everything that has happened so far. Her heart had felt full for the first time in such a long time. When she got cast out from her clan, she thought she would die alone, but now even if she did die, she wouldn't ever be alone. Not again.

She wondered what Clarke wanted to talk to Bellamy about. It seemed as if something he dreaded was finally coming to the surface. If Emme had to guess, it was to do with the crime he committed to be with his sister on the ground based on how he reacted to Raven bringing down the radio - the crime he committed that brought him to her. Emme felt a bit selfish thinking of it like that, however she was grateful to have met him, and all of the sky people, generally speaking.

The tent opened softly and a person popped their head through and gave a warm smile.

"May I come in?" he asked. Emme smiled and nodded, wrapping the blanket tighter around her torso as Monty came in the tent. At the time she was wearing a pair of shorts and one of Bellamy's shirts, but felt a bit indecent being in front of anyone else. Especially without her armor and war paint.

He handed her a cup of water, which she took gratefully and drank it.

"I know we haven't spoken," he started softly, fiddling with his fingers. "But I'm Monty."

"I believe you already know my name," Emme joked light-heartedly, giving him back the now empty cup. He nodded in response. Emme tilted her head at the young boy, noticing how quiet he was.

"I want to thank you, for keeping us safe while getting Jasper back," he then said hoarsely, as if he would be on the brink of tears, his glossy eyes holding hers for a brief moment, then flickered away, back to looking at his hands.

"How did you know?" Emme asked, grabbing his hands, forcing him to look at her. Monty dropped his hands gently.

"I overheard Bellamy when he was talking to the Chancellor..." he hesitated. "He mentioned you to the council, how you have been helping us still day one. But not getting too far off topic: Jasper is practically my brother, and I just wanted to thank you for not letting that thing eat him."

Emme nodded at the boy. "You're welcome."

"If you ever need anything," he said, coming to his feet. "Let me know?"

"Same goes for you," Emme told him. He smiled and nodded, before taking his leave. Emme laid back down on the makeshift bed, her eyes closing blissfully as she slipped back into her daydreams.

"Can I come with you?" Emme asked. Later in the day Bellamy had entered the tent just to tell her he would be going on a supply run. Only the supply run was for guns that were hidden in a bunker a day west of their current location, and to be honest Emme didn't like the thought of Bellamy going without her, and that Clarke would be his backup.

"You need to stay here," he told her as he packed his bag. Once he hoisted it onto his shoulder he turned around to face her worried gaze. Emme watched as what appeared to be uncertainty flickered across his face. It was obvious he didn't want to be away from her, but Emme sensed it was something he had to do. Bellamy gently grabbed the sides of her face and brought her to him slowly.

"I'll be back," he told her in a hushed whisper. Emme's eyes fluttered shut at the close proximity and nodded, her breath uneven. He pressed his lips firmly up against hers, and for a moment she kissed him back, almost as firmly as he kissed her. Then Bellamy's hands dropped from her face and went to her hips. At their tight and passionate grip, Emme melted into his arms, the kisses turned passionate and needy. Her heart started to beat rapidly in her chest as she tugged him closer.

Emme tangled her hands in the dark curls at the base of his neck, tugging slightly. His hands ran their way up and down her back. But before Emme could lose herself in the bliss that was Bellamy Blake, Clarke's voice rang out from outside the tent.

"Come on Bellamy," she shouted.

Emme pulled away with a groan, her heart still pounding in her chest and her body temperature was a bit too high. Bellamy chucked in response and kissed her forehead.

* * *

After Bellamy and Clarke left, Emme wanted to leave too. Maybe secretly go after them, just to keep an eye on them, but Bellamy didn't just not want her to go because he cared about her, he wanted her to stay here because of her injuries. The her wound and the cuts and bruises and still hurt tremendously, but that wouldn't make Emme stop being who she was. She was stubborn and impulsive.

"Emme?" a voice called out. Emme froze, trying to pinpoint the voice to its owner. When realizing it was Bellamy's sister, she relaxed.

"You can come in, Octavia," she said firmly, sitting down on the bed, folding her legs underneath of her. The tent opened, but a darker figure rushed in first, then came in the doe eyed Octavia.

Emme's eyes widened when they rested on the cool dark brown eyes of Lincoln. Jumping up, she carefully threw herself into his arms, in which he accepted with a firm hug and a hearty chuckle.

In his embrace, she saw Octavia eye her carefully, as if she was pondering what their hug meant. _Did he tell her about their past?_

"I'm glad you're okay," he told her in a hushed whisper, pulling back from their embrace and holding her face in his hands. Emme smiled at him, her heart warm with comfort

"Thanks to you," Emme said kindly, her smile faded into a content gaze. "What happened to ones you hit?"

Lincoln turned his head, showing a treated gash. "You took us all out, remember?"

Emme placed her hand next to the wound and frowned.

"You really did this to yourself?" she asked. Lincoln pulled back from their close proximity and looked towards the sky girl who was standing quietly by the entrance of the tent.

"I had some help," he said with a cheeky smile, coming to Octavia and grabbed her hand, squeezing it firmly. Emme smiled lightly at them, before her eyes heavy. Tired, she slipped into a dark sleep.

* * *

 _Eyes fluttering open, Emme jolted upwards, heart beating rapidly as she looked around her. The screams woke her from an unusual peaceful slumber. Emme knew whose screams they were. They belonged to her brother._

 _Emme sprung out of her bed and grabbed her blade and walked towards the doorway. The sun had just risen, rippling through the small hut, illuminating the dark wood around her._

 _Walking into the main room, Emme saw her younger brother on the floor, crouched in a fetal position, her father, a very large and powerful man, kicking him in the side as their mother sat and watched, a blank expression on her face._

 _Emme went to scream, and she couldn't, all she could do was watch in horror. She tried to move forward and she couldn't, as if she was frozen where she stood. From behind, she heard a yell. Wondering to herself the familiarity of the voice, Emme turned and saw a younger version of herself come running from the other room, a small knife in her hand. She instantly froze and watched the scene before her._

 _She watched herself kill her father, she watched her brother cuddle into her side when she backed up, covered in dark crimson. Her eyes flicked up to her mothers' who just stood there, watching the dead lifeless body on the floor for a moment, then get up and swiftly to the weapons by the door. Emme watched as her mother grabbed a blade and stabbed herself, dropped it, then ran out of the home screaming that her daughter was trying to kill her family. Emme dropped down, feeling hands on her body, pulling and shaking her. Her stomach turned warm and bile made its way to her throat. When the vomit finally reached her mouth and out onto the floor, she realized it was blood._

" _Emme?" she heard. Suddenly the room was lost in a pitch blackness. Her brother was gone. Her dead father was gone. But the voice belonged to Bellamy. She could feel his warm touch on her body, but she could not see him. Blood kept pouring from her mouth, but this time it was choking her, like she couldn't push all of it out._

 _Gasping for air, a bright light appeared from within the darkness._

In a rapid movement forward, Emme splattering out blood in a shaky and uneasy cough, finally getting it out of her airway. Finally she could breath. Taking in a large gulp of air, Emme felt the world come back to her, she could hear voices around her, but one only mattered. Turning to her left she saw him, his eyes glossy and slightly red. And despite her hand covered in blood, he took hers into his and gave a grateful smile. However more screams from outside disrupted the peaceful moment, and the night was nowhere near over.

* * *

 **Author's note: Surprise! I want to sincerely apologize for being MIA. I was dealing with some pretty serious health issues for about 10 months which left me extremely unmotivated to write - it is such a long story.**

 **ANYWAY - I did write this chapter a while ago, I actually started it when my health started to decline. That's honestly why it's so short - I never really finished it. HOWEVER, I decided to end the chapter here and start back up again with the next chapter. This is just so that everything starts fresh in chapter 11. I will be updating in the future once or twice a month, it really just depends.**

 **Also I do have some more good news, I started to write another 100 fanfiction, which I am titling Grounded, and I aim to post that sometime in November.**

 **As always, special thanks to my beta, Katiebees.**

 **PLEASE review!**


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